New Year, Same Rangers.

11 in a row. That's the amount of wins Rangers are in SFL 3 and they continued that streak at Galabank against Annan Athletic on Wednesday. Rangers struggled to find any away form in the opening matches of the season and Annan away was a trickier affair the first time back in September 2012. Rangers failed to score in that match and would lose debutant David Templeton for 3 months with an ankle ligament injury. 2nd January 2013 was a very different game though. The team have settled well into Scotland's fourth tier over the past few months which has seen them take a lead of 18 points in the division already.


The players this season seem to have been struggling on the smaller astro grass surfaces, but this is another obstacle of the league they have overcome. It was a make shift squad to say the least for this tie. Club Captain Lee McCulloch was missing with an ankle injury and ever present Lewis McLeod was also missing with a viral infection that seemed to have hit most clubs across the UK. This gave starts to fringe youngsters, Robbie Crawford and Darren Cole. It was Cole's first start of the season, although Crawford had made a couple of substitute appearances, weighing in with a couple of goals.


The game started as expected, with Rangers dominating possession. Albeit with out many chances. On the 25th minute though, good work from Fran Sandaza in the box found David Templeton out left. A bit of good luck from the resulting cross, saw it float over the Annan keeper and into the back of the net to send the Light Blues 1 up. Amazingly though 9 minutes later Annan found themselves level as Ally Love, scored the almost identical goal to Templetons opener. A wayward cross which found the inside of the net over the Scrambling Alexander. This would be the score as the teams went in at half time.


Both teams kicked off the second half as they where. Same as the first half Rangers dominated possession and chances but couldn't find the net. On 62 minutes though, a good cross from Templeton just missed Ian Black, but fell nicely for youngster Robbie Crawford who clinically found the corner across Annan Keeper Mitchells goal, to make it 2-1 Rangers. Another nice finish from Crawford who had been composed in front of goal in his previous appearances. With 10 minuted left, Templeton took down a Kyle Hutton pass and with a nice turn, let fly at the Annan goal, the ball took a wicked deflection from an Annan defender and completely wrong footed keeper Mitchell who could only watch as the ball flew into his net.


The match finished 3-1, another comfortable win for Gers and their 11th in a row in SFL3. With nearest promotion rivals Elgin City losing 2-0 to Peterhead in the afternoon fixtures. This leaves Rangers a massive 18 points clear in the title race, and looking certain for the league win.

Charles Green - I'll Never Surrender

I haven't posted a blog since back in January of this year. The reason for this was because I have been literally lost for words at the way our club has been treated over this period. From Whyte to Murray, the BBC to the SFA and it's members. We have been battered, bruised and kicked to within our very existence by these vultures. At every opportunity, the afore mentioned have did all their power to end Rangers Football Club.

Though today Bears, as I write this blog. Rangers FC's ticket lines and offices have been inundated with season ticket applications and match tickets sales! After an already estimated 30,000 renewals, even in the Scottish Third Division, Rangers fans will have Ibrox packed to the rafters to watch our famous club, rise through the league's and take our rightful place at the top of the Scottish game. Many mocked us and said we where dead. They said our proud history was lost, and Rangers weren't the club we where before. But one man, outwith the support and Super Ally, took it upon himself to set the rest of Scotland straight, Rangers hadn't died, our history was still the most successful in world football and The Rangers where here to stay!

That man I'm writing about, is Mr Charles Green, Rangers Chief Executive. Many slated Mr Green in first few months in charge of Rangers, could you blame them? Maybe after the couple of years we'd had, no you couldn't have. One thing the support needed was someone we could trust. Someone who could take our club forward, and whether you liked him or not. The only man to step up to the plate was Mr Green. When Charles came in, his first mission was to get RFC into a football league, after much discussion and negotiation, it was announced we'd be in SFL Division 3. This was where most fans wanted to be. The SFA then began their campaign to strip our club of history and titles. Straight away Mr Green and The Gaffer took them on toe to toe to prevent this happening.

After all was said and done with regards to our licence, Mr Green has openly spoke about what Rangers fans already knew. The hatred and bigotry towards us by all other SPL clubs and officials. In my 26 years following Rangers, Mr Green has defended us more in the last week, than any other so called Rangers man I've came across in this time. In which other club anywhere in the world, would the CEO stand in the rain soaked Season Ticket queue to speak to fans. The answer? NOWHERE. I've come to the conclusion, Charles Green is a cut above the rest when it comes to PR and fan relations. Clearly he's not here to make a quick buck. He's here to kick start the Rangers journey to the top and smash any Rangers haters on the way.


I hope now our fans can find some peace within themselves, to start enjoying football again knowing that our clubs in the hands of a man who'll fight for us tooth and nail. You might say I'm jumping the gun, if this backfires I'll be more than willing to face his doubters and eat humble pie. But my impression is Mr Charles Green loves the Rangers and he'll bring back the success and The Rangers we know and love.


WE DON'T DO WALKING AWAY

David Weir, Captain, leader. legend!

David Weir was Walter Smith’s first signing of his second spell as Rangers manager on the 16^th January 2007. At the age of 35 many Rangers fans presumed this would be a short term deal, to steady a very shaky defence in what was probably the worst managerial regime in Rangers’ history under Frenchman Paul Le Guen. Davie, as he was known in the footballing world, signed an initial 6 month deal and made his debut against Dunfermline on the 21^st January 2007. Davie would form a formidable partnership with Rangers’ other new centre back Ugo Eghiou, seeing of Celtic twice and dramatically reducing the gap in the league that season even though the damage had been done and Rangers would lose out on the title.

At the end of season 06/07. Davie would sign another 12^th month deal to play another full season for his boyhood heroes. The season would probably be the most rollercoaster like in Rangers history. Carlos Cuellar would partner up with Weir at the beginning of the new season after the departure of Ehgiou. Weir and Cuellar formed an almost invincible defence and set Rangers on their way to an early 7 point lead in the league, seeing off Celtic 3-0 on the way. Rangers were also flying on the European front winning emphatically in Lyon and keeping a clean sheet at Ibrox against Euro giants Barcelona. After narrowly missing out on qualifying for the last 16 Rangers would drop into the Uefa Cup and make it all the way to the final in Manchester on the 14^th May 2008. Even at the age of 36 Davie managed an astonishing 66 appearances, although the European run would dent hopes of the SPL title and the run of games lead to Rangers losing out on the final game.

Season 08/09 was the beginning of Weir’s greatest spell though. After the controversial events with Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor on Scotland duty. Davie would take on the captaincy for second half of the season while Ferguson served a club suspension and battled injury, leading the Gers to a helicopter Sunday title win at Tannadice. Davie lifted the trophy with Ferguson who was to depart for Birmingham in the close season, leaving Weir permanent captain of the club after he amazingly signed on for another season.

Rangers made it 2 in a row in 09/10 and fans thought Davie would bow out on a high. This wasn’t to be the case. He again signed on for another 12 months captaining Ranger to 3 in a row and world record 54^th title in season 10/11. Same again at the end, Rangers fans believed at 40 years old Davie would hang the boots up, but as we all knew he was as fit as a fiddle and wanted another season in light blue. Unfortunetly he would pick up an injury which would see him miss most of this first half of this season and even when he returned to fitness the brand new defensive partnership of Carlos Bocanegra and Dorin Goian would keep Davie out the team.

January 17^th 2012, almost 5 years to the day he signed, Weir declared he’d played his last game in light blue and ended his Rangers career. After 8 trophies, a European Final and 231 appearances Davie will move on to pastures new. Right now it’s rumoured he’s going to play for an unnamed club in England, although it’s no secret he wants to move into management. Whatever he does though, he will have the best wishes from every Rangers fan around the globe for the magnificent 5 years he’s gave to us. Rangers have many successful captains and Davie Weir will sit proudly in that list.