Champions League
Well, that's Europe over for another year and what a disappoinment it has been. After an exciting start taking 4 points from a possible 6, it all went pear shaped. Two successive defeats to English champions Manchester United and a poor show in Germany it was over for us as far as the Champions League was concerned. However, there was still a chance we could salvage third place and a UEFA cup spot if we could beat Panathinaikos at Ibrox. I, like most bears turned up expecting Rangers to get at least a draw but sadly it wasn't to be. The last few weeks have not been good to be a Rangers supporter and the defeat at home to the Greeks only highlighted just how bad we are at the moment. Europe was always a bonus and the main thing is we got the money from the Champions League which we had missed for so long.
Chris Burke
What a revelation this young lad has been for a tired and lethargic looking Rangers side. He's been waiting patiently on the side lines for a chance to come along and he's duely grabbed it with both hands. Even during the 2-0 defeat at East End Park he (along with Bob Malcolm) he was trying his heart out. He's been excellent so far, and I'm sure there's much more where that came from. However, we cannot expect him to do it all by himself and we have to remember that he's only a young boy. The last thing we need is him to suffer from exhaustion. The way David Moyes at Everton uses Wayne Rooney should be an example of how to bring young players into the first team. So far so good though. Keep it up Chris!
Character and Fighting Spirit
What is going on with our team at the moment? Whatever happened to the "character" that so many people spoke about last season? It seems that when we go behind in a game now, the heads go down and no one wants to know about it.
cher like figure to pick us up and drive us on when things aren't going our way. This has been evident a few times this season (1-1 at Motherwell and 0-0 at Livingston) and even when we've scraped results against Hibs and Kilmarnock we've been anything but convincing. These results have merely papered over the cracks and the defeat at Dunfermline came as no real surprise.
I read Steve Paterson at Aberdeen saying he felt a few of his players were "cheating the club" by picking up big bucks and giving nothing in return: The same could be said of Rangers. There are too many players at Ibrox who are not performing as they should be and they know who they are. The same could be said of certain fans who threw away scarves and smartcards after the Panathinaikos and Dunfermline games. I'm sorry guys, but Rangers do not have a divine right to win everything. You have to take the good with the bad, it's part of what being a football supporter is all about. We'll be back from this dip in form but for now let's stick together and get behind the team until we do.
United we stand.
Jean Alain Boumsong
It's been reported that he's signed a pre-contract agreement and he'll arrive in the summer on a five year deal. The only negative from this deal is his extortionate wages but the fact that he's a free transfer makes up for that. He's recently been valued at £8m and it's expected that he'll be in the French national side for the European championships next summer, so his imminent arrival at Ibrox can only be good news. Well done Rangers for getting in early and pulling this deal off.
And Finally..
I'd just like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year. Keep the faith and stay blue.
WATP
Mox