A Prosperous New Season

In just two short weeks, the waiting will be over and our new season will be upon us.

Some of us will be on the road, clocking up the miles and a lot more of us will be tuning in to BBC Alba’s coverage of our Challenge Cup First Round match then almost instantly get pissed off with the Gaelic commentary.

Either way, we’ll all be watching the most-supported club in Scotland after enduring the annual anguish of pre-season.

Our summer preparations have been spot on and the players are looking fitter by the day.

There’s still one or two things that need to be ironed out though.

Such as making sure Ally ties down Boris Pandza and Bilel Moshni to contracts. The latter looks like he’d be a terrific signing for Rangers on account of his impressing displays against Brora, Elgin and Bristol City.

We need to snap him up before someone else steals him from under our nose. Ticks all the boxes in my opinion.

Also, McCoist has said that he’d like to bring in another striker. But do we really need another attacker at Ibrox?

Jon Daly, Nicky Clark and Andy Little are accomplished centre-forwards. McCulloch is deployed upfront quite frequently too. It’s just a shame that Little is wasted out on right-wing a lot.

Young Barrie McKay looks certain to be a cracker in years to come too, if he gets the head down and sticks into his training and development.

However, if we do sign another striker, it will have to be one for the future and not another thirty-odd year-old pro looking for one last big gig.

We look to be an attacker down though, with Kal Naismith’s likely exit to Accrington Stanley. I’m sure my fellow Bears will be very pleased about his departure, if it comes. As will I.

Also, we have sold over 32,000 season tickets. Not bad for a 3rd tier club, eh?

Fans are a lot more optimistic this pre-season after the torment of administration and later liquidation last year.

The feel-good factor is back at Ibrox and we’re all actually looking forward to seeing the new-look team in full-swing.

One or two Bears also think that we could mount a serious challenge in the cups too. Perhaps even lift one. A realistic prospect, given the quality of our recent signings.

The buzz generating around Ibrox in current times is amazing and hopefully it’s here to stay with us throughout the season.

Our campaign kicks off with a trip to Livingston FC’s Almondvale Stadium to face Albion Rovers in the Challenge Cup First Round.

Not a glamour fixture by any means, but still our first step into Stage Two and getting that wee bit closer to our rightful place at the pinnacle of Scottish football.

But for the time being, let’s enjoy making more new friends, giving smaller clubs a wee financial boost and most importantly, storming to another league championship.

From the USA to Australia, wherever you’re watching us from, have a great season.

Together we are Rangers.

Oh, Timothy!

The obsession that some fans of one particular football club have over Rangers FC is a fixation that we are reminded of on a daily basis.

Everywhere you turn, there they are. Constantly speaking and writing about us.

They say we are dead, but won’t stop talking about us.

They also wanted a club whom they believed to be dead, stripped of it’s trophies and honours. The same ones that were proven to be fairly gamed.

Even 78 poor, deranged souls had the brass-neck to file complaints with the ASA over that same club’s marketing schemes.

From the SFA and ECA, from Lord Nimmo Smith to the ASA, they have been shot down at every attempt to try and take our 141 year history away from us.

Something must be seriously wrong at their own football club if all they can manage to do is to speak about that team’s arch rivals and constantly troll the Rangers community.

A large number of them can’t even be arsed to turn up and watch their team play. Peter Lawwell even went as low as convincing tabloids to lie about their woeful attendances last season.

Speaks volumes for “the best fans in the world.”

From senior security snooping on Rangers blogs and social media to the thug in a tracksuit actually managing their team, obsession with us runs from the top of that club to the very bottom.

From the t-shirts they wore on the last day of the season to the Lurgan Bigot’s consistent snidey comments about us.

Even one of their own players couldn’t resist having a wee, childish dig at us. Kris ‘KFC’ Commons was surely put in his place when Juventus gubbed them though.

From Facebook and Twitter to newspaper article threads and fixated bloggers. Even radio phone-in shows are a popular choice of Timothy’s.

Trolling the Rangers forums with bogus user accounts is also another one I’ve heard of.

I personally get my email inbox and my Twitter feed crammed up by Timothy wanting to talk about us. As do a lot of Rangers fans.

Very sad, desperate stuff from our chum Timmy.

But whilst we got on with Third Division last season, they went out on a limb and found ways to try and get under our skin.

We, as a Club, will always be better than them though. Because we possess a few things they severely lack in.

Class.
Dignity.
Respect.
Morals.
Pride.

Five things that Celtic FC, their employees and their fans will never have.

They are obsessed from cradle to grave. They crave a football club with all five of the above attributes. Maybe that’s why they won’t shut up about us!

One very true fact about them though: they don’t matter. Not a jot. They haven’t dampened our spirits or knocked us down. Haven’t even made us flinch.

We will never stoop to their level. We’re better than them. Much, much better.

And a few things that we are: We’re still here. Still Rangers. Still 54 titles and going strong. Still the biggest supported club in Scotland and still the world’s most successful football team.

Get it right up you, Timothy.

We are the people, and we’re going nowhere.

New Bus, Same Driver

The newly-founded Scottish Professional Football League have now appointed a full board of directors, a chairman and a chief executive.

Among the men who possess seats on this new board are well known Rangers-hating figures like Eric Riley, Duncan Fraser and Stephen Thompson.

Their hatred for our club is the sole reason that the SPL crumbled and lasted just one solitary season after the sectarian bile which was spewed our way, forced us to plummet down the leagues into SFL3.

They needed us more than we needed them. But instead of SPL chairmen acting in the best interests of their clubs, they bowed to the bigoted demands of fans and certain board members.

Dunfermline Athletic and most recently Hearts, are two prime examples of the sad state of Scottish football today.

A wee piece of advice to both those clubs: Don’t make the Bear angry and NEVER bite the hand that feeds you.

Neil Doncaster has also been appointed as the inaugural chief executive of this newfangled SPFL.

A stumbling buffoon who helped turn Scottish football into a complete shambles. The bitch of Peter Lawwell and the jester of our national sport.

One can only wonder as to why he’s been given a second chance to screw up all over again.

However, news that Rangers will possess full SPFL membership has went down well amongst the Ibrox legions.

We once again, and rightfully so, have a voice and our voting rights back. As this country’s biggest and most supported football club, we must use it wisely in a bid to oust the bigots from the corridors of Hampden.

“Sink us and we’ll sink you.”

We must keep to that solemn promise and rid our game of the cancers that currently infest it.

For the time being though, we must plough on with our journey back to the pinnacle of Scottish football. Our rightful place.

It’s not rocket science. Scotland’s biggest club should be playing in Scotland’s highest league.

Last season, we trumped every other Scottish club in attendance figures. In fact, we were actually the fifth most supported football team in the United Kingdom.

Not bad for a Third Division club, eh?

Rangers Football Club have a support that most clubs in the world can only stare at in awe and amazement.

Take Gary Locke’s contradictory remarks a while back. Firstly, he wanted to book a friendly match against Rangers to help generate some much-needed revenue for Hearts.

He obviously saw our record-breaking crowds last season and thought that Hearts could be doing with a slice of our loyal support.

But once he discovered that no self-respecting Rangers fan would attend Tynecastle, he claimed that Hearts didn’t need our help anyway.

Locke’s comments reeked of hypocrisy and desperation. He was left red-faced with his tail firmly tucked between his legs.

A friendly against Celtic was never spoken about. Or against any other Scottish club for that matter.

It’s quite obvious that these clubs just don’t carry the support that Rangers do.

Once again, it’s all about the Rangers. But we knew that anyway.

Anyway, let’s all try and look forward to next season. Hopefully we can concentrate on the football and not the bureaucracy that surrounds football.

Remember; comparing attendances isn’t a contest…. Certainly not a close one anyway!

Have a good one, Bears!