retired_bbcarr

at least you seem safe from the drop with dundee united being so utterly terrible. the destruction at celtic park must have hurt though hopefully the new players coming in during january can provide the strength needed for a push towards the top 6

shannon2007

b]January 2006[/b]
Steven Laidlaw

A New Year, and hopefully a new change of fortunes as David Fox, Stephen Murray, Paul Gallacher, Greg Shields and David Dunn all reported to Ibrox for the first time, and there was a rising air of confidence at the club. There would be two more signings early in the month as well. Ben Clark came in from Sunderland to bolster the defence for the nominal fee of £28,000 and then we had a deal with Newcastle for striker Michael Chopra. Newcastle had enquired about Chris Burke, and I told them they could have him for £3.5M, a deal which they agreed. I discovered the Chopra was transfer listed and I could have him for £1M. In the old days, one million pounds would have been nothing, now it was a huge amount of money, and great risk. If the Burke deal failed, then I would pushing the finances to the limit, and also the wage budget which now stood at a £100k a week maximum, would be being pushed to its limit. As luck would have it, Chopra agreed terms before Burke did, and I had to take the risk and sign him. Fortunately, a couple of days later Burke agreed terms, and was off to Newcastle.

I’ve spent a quite remarkable £2.2M over the winter transfer window, but the sales of Stephen Hughes earlier, and Chris Burke now have brought in £6M, and so the books are more than balanced and in my opinion the squad is a lot stronger for it. Of course the wage bill had risen from around £25k a week last season to £96k this, but the trade off is that in the higher division we make more money through the gate. So far this season we have made a profit of around £9M, although of course the £9.8M investment has been largely responsible for that. You can see than that our actual losses are less than £1M, and although that’s still not quite making the profit the club needs, its certainly getting closer and with the smaller debt, which was costing £475k a week, now paid off we are in a good position again. There is still the massive £93M debt, which has another 20 years to run, but that costs £625k a month, and if we can get into Europe soon it will take care of itself. Things are certainly looking up off the field, but we now need to start making them do so on it, or will all be in vain.

Our year would begin at Tynecastle, and there was a quiet air of excitement amongst the support. I hoped they wouldn’t expect too much too soon, and it would take time for the new players to settle and for most of them, get match fit. Yet from the kick off you could see a difference about the team, and after fourteen minutes Charlie Adam got our first goal of 2006 to send us into the lead. It lasted 12 minutes before Hearts were level, but heads didn’t go down, and the players kept battling away. Adam seemed to revelling in his new midfield partnership with Murray and Dunn, and it was he who sent us back into the lead on 38 minutes, showing for the first time the kind of performances he was doing week in week out last season. The second half didn’t quite contain such excitement, but we held on for an excellent away win, and things were suddenly looking a whole lot brighter.

And yet, just when you think you’re nearing the top of the hill, you see another peak, and Dunfermline came to Ibrox determined to kill our new found optimism. Which they did with a 2-1 win, which if nothing else showed that we were far from the finished article. A Scottish Cup match at Palmerston against Queen of the South was a potential banana skin. Indeed, today was turn out to be a day of shocks, as Montrose won 2-0 at Dundee, Alloa beat Airdrie, East Stirling won at Raith, Dundee United won at Tynecastle, Arbroath beat Morton, and Dumbarton trounced Livingston by 3-0. For us though, there was thankfully to be no shock. David Dunn’s first goal for the club was a beauty on the half hour mark and the nineteen minutes from time Robert Davidson wrapped up a place in the 4th round. It may not have been devastatingly brilliant football, but it was effective and a trip to East Stirling was our reward.

With Kilmarnock chasing a Champions League spot, and given the fact they had destroyed us 4-1 at Ibrox earlier, a trip to Rugby Park would be a huge test for our newly rebuilt side. Di Giacomo sent Killie ahead after 4 minutes, and we feared the worst. The players dug in though, and although a defeat is never good, we were certainly playing well enough that I wasn’t overly unhappy. In the final minute though, Chopra bagged his first goal for the club, and we snatched a very valuable point. Things were indeed starting to look a whole lot better. Our final match of the month was at home to another club harbouring hopes of a place in Europe’s premier event, that being Livingston. An own goal from their keeper Meldrum after just four minutes was a huge bonus, and on 49 minutes Davidson wrapped up the points.

We remain in 10th place, but with 26 points we are five adrift of 6th placed Aberdeen, and now 14 ahead of Dundee United at the bottom. There is still a long way to go before we can start to be satisfied, but its safe to say, so far, so good………

shannon2007

February 2005
Steven Laidlaw

The visit to bottom club Dundee United gave us the chance to all but assure ourselves of safety. Yet all the good work over the fast few weeks was undone, as we played appallingly, and lost by 2-0. The result actually saw United switch places with city rivals Dundee, who were to part company with manager Jim Duffy. We had to get over that setback, and what better way than a cup tie. East Stirling had no answer as we thumped then 4-1 , but in the Quarter Finals we face a much sterner task with a trip to Rugby Park, Kilmarnock.

With Motherwell hovering around above us, a trip to Fir Park gave us the chance to re-establish our recovery. After a torrid first half, we went in level at the break and on 65 minutes Noel Whelan sent us into the lead. Motherwell were reeling, and thirteen minutes later Davidson secure an excellent win. Back at Ibrox, and faltering Hibs were the vistors. Indeed, a win here would see us rise above them to the heady heights of 9th place.

Just 12 minutes gone though, and Riordan sent the Hibees ahead. Noel Whelan struck twice in four minutes to turn the match on its head, before Scott Brown made it 2-2. And there only 25 minutes gone. Yet the early flurry seemed to have used up all the exitement as the match pettered out. In the 93rd minute, Stephen Murray tried an ambitious strike from 30 yards, which flew past the Hibs keeper into the net, and with the last kick of the ball we had taken a fine win.

Aberdeen though was to prove a disaster in more ways than one. Not only did they win 2-0 at Ibrox and severely dent our chances of a top 6 finish, but an injury to David Dunn saw him needed surgery, and he would be out for five months. It was a serious blow, as Dunn has been instrumental in our recent decent form, and its not going to be easy to cope without him.

shannon2007

SPL Table 1st March 2005

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Inf Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Celtic 26 17 5 4 54 16 +38 56 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Hearts 26 13 6 7 37 28 +9 45 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Dunfermline 26 11 11 4 37 28 +9 44 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th Kilmarnock 26 12 4 10 38 28 +10 40 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th Aberdeen 26 10 8 8 35 31 +4 38 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th Livingston 26 9 8 9 29 29 0 35 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Motherwell 26 9 6 11 33 35 -2 33 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th Inverness CT 26 8 9 9 25 35 -10 33 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Rangers 26 9 5 12 34 42 -8 32 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th Hibs 26 8 5 13 34 46 -12 29 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th Dundee Utd 26 4 9 13 25 44 -19 21 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th Dundee 26 4 8 14 13 32 -19 20 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- </pre>

shannon2007

March 2006
[b[Steven Laidlaw[/b]

Our form, although still slightly erratic, was definitely better since the turn of the year. Even so, it seemed the Rangers support were stubbornly refusing to believe that we had turned the corner, and most were not too happy that I was still in charge of the team. In Inverness, Gary McKenzie’s brace notched up another three points, and even with Dunn missing we had looked not too bad. Further bad news on the injury front came though with the news that David Fox would be out for a month. Seems like it never rains but it pours.

The Scottish Cup Quarter Final at Rugby Park turned out to be a real cracker of a match, at least for the fans and the neutral. For the managers, it was a bloody nightmare. Killie were 2-0 ahead after just 17 minutes, and it looked like our participation in the cup was no longer needed. A great fight back though saw million pound flop Chopra hit a double and we went in at the break level. It was sign of the difference in confidence in the side that we could come back, but just as it looked like we could take the tie back to Ibrox, Di Giacomo sent the home side ahead with only seven minutes to play. It looked to be the winner, but it wasn’t. Deep into injury time, Charlie Adam delivered, and back to Ibrox it was indeed.

The replay was a little bit less thrilling, with Robert Davidson sending us ahead on the half hour, and Noel Whelan wrapping up our place in the Semis against Hibs with a minute to go. Yet if the euphoria of the cup success had raised spirits a bit more, the trip to Dens Park in the league totally deflated them again, as the bottom side easily won by 1-0 and left me wondering if these were the same players. The inconsistencies were bugging our play, and it wasn’t with a great deal of hope that we welcomed Hearts, who had just destroyed Celtic’s treble dream by winning the League Cup for the second time in a row. Two minutes in, Charlie Adam sent us ahead, and a Noel Whelan double gave us all three points in an excellent victory.

I think its fair to say that, despite the obvious fact the team still has gaping inadequacies, there has been a definite improvement. The win over Hearts moved us up to the heady heights of 7th place, and we might even have a chance of Europe via the Inter Toto. I think it’s also fair to say that Michael Chopra, even with his double against Killie, has been dire so far and it seems the million spent on him might have been a waste of money. Perhaps come summer I’ll have to try and recoup something to cut our losses and look for a player who can fulfil the idea of a strikers role, that of scoring goals………

retired_jkat116

KUTGW PM, enjoying this one a lot :thup:

shannon2007

Thanks

------------------------------------------------

April 2006
Steven Laidlaw

We headed off to Dunfermline as the season entered its home straight, and we were within touching distance of that top six finish which at one point had seemed like a pipe dream. I decided to push Charlie Adam up front beside Noel Whelan, with Tom Brighton taking on the Adam role pushing through from the midfield. It seemed to work as Whelan scored twice in the first eleven minutes, with a Dunfermline goal sandwiched in between, and Brighton added a 3rd on 34. Two minutes from half time Hunt made it 3-2, and then six minutes after the restart he pulled the Pars level. This wasn’t making me happy, and I decided to radically restructure things. I pulled Adam and Whelan back slightly, sent on Chopra to play a lone strike role, with the aforementioned players pushing up in support and set Wilson to play further forward. It might leave us a bit more vulnerable defensively, but the truth was I just wasn’t happy the way things were going anyway.

The new formation worked virtually right away, as Chopra bagged a five minute brace and although it was way too early to say, perhaps we’ve found his position. In injury time Hunt completed his hattrick, but we held on for an excellent away win. The Old Firm derby at Ibrox was next, and after the 5-0 drubbing we had received in the last one, we really needed to get a bit of pride back here. I decided to take a risk by sticking with the formation I had ended with against Dunfermline. The first half was fairly even, and the improvement in our side was there for all to see. Eight minutes into the second half, Chopra sent us into the lead, but only a few minutes later McColl was sent off for causing Chris Sutton to dive in the area and Celtic had a penalty. Hartson took the kick, but Graeme Smith pulled off a wonderful save, and justice was done. There were a few more scary moments, but eventually the referee brought the match to an end, and we had won. It was a moment well worth savouring.

We went into the Scottish Cup Semi Final at Hampden against Hibs, knowing that if we won, and if Celtic beat Aberdeen, we would actually be in the UEFA Cup, as there was no way Celtic were going to lose the title now. Michael Chopra seemed to be revelling in his new role, and sent us ahead after half an hour, and ten minutes later top scorer Whelan added a second. Five minutes after the restart though, Whelan blotted his copybook by being sent off, but even with 10 men we were still the stronger side, and when Chopra added a 3rd the berth in the Final was ours. Celtic duly overcame Aberdeen 2-0, and incredibly we were almost certain to be playing European football next season. It had certainly been a remarkable turn around.

A 1-0 win at Ibrox over Kilmarnock, Whelan seven minutes from time, secure our place in the top six despite a loss to Livingston in the last game before the split, which actually helped them secure their own place top six. We lay 5th now going into the last five league matches, which at the turn of the year would have seemed impossible. The fans are slowly, I hope, coming round, and we have done really well in the last few months to get ourselves into this position. Our last match of April, and first after the split was at Celtic Park, and after falling 2-0 behind after 21 minutes, we rallied well in the second half and goals from Chopra and Whelan pulled us level. Alas, we couldn’t hold on for the draw as a late John Hartson goal gave Celtic the points, but we had a lot to be proud of in the manner of our performance, and lot of hope for the future.

In the constant bid to strengthen the squad, we have secure the signatures of four players so far who will arrive in the summer. Michael Stewart will come in from Manchester United on a Bosman, midfielders Mark Fotheringham from Dundee for £70k up front, and Gary MacDonald from Killie for £160k up front will improve our options there. And defender William Kinniburgh will arrive for £110k from Motherwell. All four players will be useful additions to the squad I’m sure.

shannon2007

May 2006
Steven Laidlaw

Four more league matches to go, and the best we could look at was 4th place. Its incredible to think that we actually can look at 4th, when you think that at one point 11th would have been sensational. The final four games were a mixed bag, as we won against Kilmarnock, drew with Dunfermline and lost to Livingston and Hearts, and our final position turned out to be 5th. Which was about that the chairman and fans had wished for at the start of the season. It was a little bit surprising therefore when Mr Redmond announced to the entire world that he was disappointed we hadn’t been more involved in the title race. I think he might be losing his marbles.

The Cup Final at Hampden was a huge occasion. Celtic hadn’t been in particularly great form themselves, only winning three of their last six matches. Our win at Ibrox and the level of commitment we had shown at Celtic Park had given us a belief we could win this. The bookies and the media, and probably even most of our own support didn’t really follow that belief, but then the bookies aren’t always right, and the media rarely are. Going into the match though we had huge problems. With 10 players on international duty for the European U-19 Qualifying, and with suspensions to Charlie Adam, who had picked up another 5 match ban by reaching the points threshold, and Noel Whelan, it was down to the bare bones of a squad.

Yet that just made those who did play even more determined to succeed. The first half was very much a tame affair, dominated in large parts by Celtic, as we created very little, but held the champions at bay. In the second half, we started to come more out of our shell a little, but on 55 minutes the referee awarded Celtic another ludicrous penalty, from which Alan Thompson sent them ahead and all our hard work had been undone. At the start of the season the players heads would have gone down, and they would have given up. Now though it was good to see them roll up their sleeves, and with 68 minutes gone, we finally got our reward as Michael Chopra pulled us level, and the pendulum was swinging fully back our way.

As the match wore on to the possibility of extra time, and perhaps even penalties, Tom Brighton, who was only playing because if the selection crises, fired in what turned out to be the winner with ten minutes left to play. I don’t think a team had ever celebrated a cup success as we did. From a season which at one point had looked like being a total wipeout, we had gathered in a little bit of success, and now we would have to build on this next season.

The Chairman’s Report 2005-2006
Stuart Redmond

They say all is well that ends well, and that is certainly true as far as our season has gone. At one point it looked like we might need to find a new manager, but Laidlaw managed to pull his team together and the Cup win was certainly an unexpected bonus. The place in the UEFA Cup it brings will hopefully further help our more promising financial situation, which in part is due to the manager who has traded wisely on the transfer front and created a pool of cash for himself for the new season.

For the first time in many years, the club actually made a net profit this season, and although that is due to the major investment we had, the final operating loss was still under £2M and I’m positive that next season we can turn that right around as well. We have secured a new sponsorship deal with Carling worth £3M over three years which will be enormously helpful, and it seems that as long as we don’t do anything silly we our financial fears are easing. It would have been a whole different story if our season had continued as it was pre Christmas.

There will be an amount of money to the manager for players, but he will have to sell to keep within the wage budget, which is a must. Nevertheless, I am sure he will manage to do this, and I have set him a simple goal for the new season. Bring home the Premier League title……..


<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pos Inf Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Celtic 38 23 9 6 72 23 +49 78 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Hearts 38 20 9 9 58 37 +21 69 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Dunfermline 38 16 15 7 60 44 +16 63 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th Livingston 38 14 10 14 43 50 -7 52 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th Rangers 38 15 6 17 54 58 -4 51 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th Kilmarnock 38 14 7 17 46 45 +1 49 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Inverness CT 38 12 12 14 40 51 -11 48 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th Motherwell 38 12 9 17 42 55 -13 45 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Aberdeen 38 11 11 16 40 49 -9 44 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th Hibs 38 12 8 18 49 63 -14 44 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th Dundee Utd 38 10 13 15 42 54 -12 43 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th R Dundee 38 10 9 19 27 44 -17 39 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- </pre>

shannon2007

June/July 2006 – Squad Review
Steven Laidlaw

The summer was a hive of transfer activity at Ibrox as I decided to clear out some of the underperformers, and bring in a, hopefully, better standard of player. The Chairmans statement that he wanted us to win the title totally floored me, and it seems he needs a reality check. I don’t think we are good enough, and will be happy just to be challenging, although I do think we’ve picked up some real quality during the summer. A lot of players went out, the main ones being Charlie Adam, for whom Everton bid his minimum fee release of £3.4M and I had no option but to sell. The fans weren’t happy, believing that we had sold their chosen player of the year cheaply, but there isn’t anything we could do about it. Michael Chopra is also off, to Liverpool who made a £2.5M bid. I was willing to giving Chopra the benefit of the doubt based on his season end performances, but such a bid could not be refused. Other sales included Gary MacKenzie to Bristol City for £200k, Alex Walker to Motherwell for £325k, Robert Davidson to Dundee United for £100k, and David Fox to Plymouth for £250k, plus a few others to various clubs.

Quite a few new faces have come in as we spent £4M on the transfer market. However the transfer fee’s themselves weren’t really the problem, as we actually doubled that amount in sales. The huge problem is the wage bill which has soared to £165k a week, and is £15k over the set budget for this season. It’s a slight problem, but I felt that in order to be able to have a chance to fulfil the Chairmans wishes, it was a necessary evil. Besides, he shouldn’t have such silly expectations so soon.

2006-2007 Squad

[i]Goalkeepers

Paul Gallacher (26) [i]Scotland[/b] (8 caps) Played the last handful of matches last season, including the cup final, as it was clear Smith was having a crises of confidence and will start this season as No 1. (Appearances 5, Conceded 7, Clean Sheets 1, Man of the Match 3, Rating 7.20)

Graeme Smith (23) Scotland (3 U-21 caps) Didn’t have an overly bad season when all is said and done, but lost his confidence towards the end and had to be dropped. He will be hoping to get back into the frame again soon. (Appearances 28, Conceded 34, Clean Sheets 12, Man of the Match 2, Rating 7.07)

Luke Steele (21) England (Uncapped) Promising young keeper who was listed by Manchester United and we decided to snap him up for a fee of £250k.

Kevin Morrison (15) Scotland (Uncapped) Youth academy product who doesn’t look like hes up to much if truth be told.

Defence

Greg Shields (29) Scotland (2 U-21 Caps) Arrived from Dunfermline in January for £100k, and did very well to secure the right back slot as his own. (Appearances 20, Goals 0, Assists 1, Man of the Match 1, Rating 7.30)

David Lilley (28) Scotland (Uncapped) Had a great season for Kilmarnock, can play at right back or in the centre, and comes at a fee of £400k.

Sebastian Svard (23) Denmark (8 U-21 Caps) £550k signing from Arsenal who provides cover at both right back and in a defensive midfield role.

Sean Dillon (21) Scotland (10 U-21 Caps) Another former Killie player, the left back should strengthen what was probably the weakest area of the team. Cost £150k.

Steven Smith (20) Scotland (4 U-21 Caps) Had a decent season, and can still improve, but the arrival of Dillon should ease the pressure on him. (Appearances 41, Goals 0, Assists 2, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.07)

Ben Clark (23) England (Uncapped) Another January signing, he had an average season. (Appearances 20, Goals 0, Assists 0, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.00)

William Kinniburgh (21) Scotland (17 U-21 Caps) Promising young centre back picked up from Motherwell for £325k.

Zander Diamond (21) Scotland (17 U-21 Caps, 4 goals) Another promising youngster, picked up from Aberdeen for £650k.

Ian Stewart (18) Scotland (Uncapped) Very promising young player who has come through the youth academy. Very much the cream of this years crop.

Andy Sim (16) Scotland (Uncapped) Cream of last years youth crop, but doesn’t look to have progressed very much at all.

Midfield

Steven Lennon (18) Scotland (Uncapped) Decent enough season last season, and looks like a player who can continue to improve. (Appearances 35 (2), Goals 0, Assists 3, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.05)

Michael Stewart (25) Scotland ( 3 Caps) Player who never lived up to his promise, but can still do a job for us I believe. Picked up on a Bosman.

Brian Gilmour (19) Scotland (4 U-21 Caps) Good season from a player who can still learn a lot, but could be a vital part of the team for foreseeable future. (Appearances 23 (9), Goals 1, Assists 5, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.03)

Gary MacDonald (24) Scotland (Uncapped) Arrived from Kilmarnock for £325k, then started moaning about too much competition. Cant see him being around for long.

David Dunn (26) England (1 Cap) Highly talented player picked up from Birmingham in January, made nine appearances and then picked up an injury that saw him out for five months. Hopefully he can recover. (Appearances 9, Goals 1, Assists 3, Man of the Match 2, Rating 7.78)

Stephen Murray (23) Scotland (Uncapped) Another former Kilmarnock player, arrived in January for £300k and does reasonably ok. (Appearances 24, Goals 1, Assists 7, Man of the Match 0, Rating 7.13)

Mark Fotheringham (22) Scotland (13 U-21 Caps, 1 goal) Former Celtic player, snapped up from Dundee for £350k.

Attack

Noel Whelan (31) England (2 U-21 Caps) Originally signed as a stop-gap, it’s a testament to him that he ended up as top scorer with the club last season. Then again, that might also show how bad we were up front. (Appearances 19 (13), Goals 20, Assists 3, Man of the Match 4, Rating 7.19)

Garry O’Connor (23) Scotland (4 Caps) £500k buy from Hibs, who should replace Chopra.

Tom McManus (25) Scotland (14 U-21 Caps) £120k signing from Hibs, should do well in the new formation.

Paul Di Giacomo (24) Scotland (Uncapped) Another ex Kilmarnock player, comes in for £350k.

Tom Brighton (22) Scotland (1 U-21 Cap) Fairly poor season when he did get the chance, and isn’t happy about the competition so will probably be on his way sooner rather than later. (Appearances 12 (9), Goals 2, Assists 6, Man of the Match 0, Rating 6.81)

Mark McCulloch (18) Scotland Youth academy product, unlikely to make the grade.

Kevin Watson (16) Scotland Another youth academy, but again unlikely to be good enough.

shannon2007

July/August 2006
Steven Laidlaw

We arranged four pre-season friendlies, plus a bounce match between the first and reserve sides. With the Chairman wanting the title, it was important we get a good preseason under our belts, and a flying start in the league. We started with a gentle 3-0 win over Alloa, before a very good 3-1 victory over Manchester City. Raising the barrier a little, we lost 2-0 to Manchester United before a 90th minute Tom McManus strike gave us a good 1-0 win over Lazio. In the bounce match, O'Connor and Brighton got the goals as the first team won 2-0, and all in all I think it was a decent preseason, and we had learned a lot and the new players were settling in.

The league started with a tough match in Inverness, and the home side showed they werent going to lie down and be beaten. Steven Lennon with a fine 25 yard drive eventually put us ahead right on half time, but Inverness were always pushing and 12 minutes from time they grabbed a point. A decent enough start, and at least we hadnt lost.

The UEFA Cup 2nd Qualifying round saw up against Danish side OB, with the first leg at Ibrox. This would not be an easy match, especially so early in the season. Just eight minutes in though, Tom McManus settled the crowd with a fine goal, but on 22 minutes Ibrox was silenced as Daniel Peterson gave OB a vital away goal. From the restart Garry O'Connor restored our lead, and you had to commend the players spirit for not allowed the goal to get them down.

On the half hour last seasons top scorer, Noel Whelan, opened his account for this season, and we could all breath a little bit easier. Garry O'Connor wrapped up the win on the 77th minute, and we should have a lead that will take us into the next round. Before that would be decided we had two more league games, as Hibs came to Ibrox hoping to put themselves forward as title challengers. First half goals from McManus and Whelan saw them off, and a good win to boost our confidence.

A dull and boring 0-0 home draw with Livingston didnt exactly inspire us for the trip to Denmark and when Carstensen sent the Danes ahead on just 10 minutes, alarm bells were ringing. Clearly though, they werent ringing loud enough for some of the players, as a lethargic performance allowed the Danes a second, and now we were in real trouble. In the second half, OB threw everything at us, but somehow despite a woeful performance, we held on and now we face Litex in the 1st round.

The month ended at Pittodrie and after the mauling in Denmark, we needed something here to help get our confidence back. Goals three minutes in, and three minutes from half time from Whelan and O'Connor respectively sent us on our way, and even though Aberdeen gave themselves some hope with a 53rd minute penalty, O'Connor scored from the restart and we had pulled off and excellent away win.

Its very early days, and the performances have been mixed, but after four games we lie 3rd behind Hibs and Motherwell, with our expected main rivals Celtic back in 5th after losing two of their opening four games. it could well be a very exicting title race if the other teams can keep their consistancy.