good to hear m8

sing it loud as you can

Rangers pursue Danns:

Rangers manager Ally McCoist hopes to sign former Crystal Palace midfielder Neil Danns.

"There could be information on Neil Danns in a matter of days," McCoist confirmed on the club website.

"We've been talking to his representatives since he left Crystal Palace and I'm trying to push that one through."

Danns, 28, had spells at Colchester and Birmingham before a £600,000 move to Selhurst Park in January 2008.
The attacking midfielder made 38 appearances for the Eagles last season, scoring eight goals, and has been linked with Hull City and Southampton.


Peterhead sign McAllister.

In-demand striker Rory McAllister has rejected a host of full-time clubs to sign for Third Division Peterhead.

McAllister scored 29 goals for Brechin in the Second Division last season.

The 24-year-old turned down an offer from St Mirren this month, while St Johnstone, Aberdeen, Sheffield United, Charlton and Port Vale were interested.

McAllister is in the final year of his apprenticeship as a plumber and has agreed a two-year, part-time deal with the Blue Toon.

"Without the assistance of several members of the board this deal wouldn't have happened.

"There was stiff competition for Rory's signature from SPL sides and English First Division sides and a host of other sides have showed interest, so for Peterhead to secure his signing is a great achievement."

"It is a wise choice for Rory McAllister the player and Rory McAllister the person to develop his game while at the same time continue to earn his trade qualifications to fall back on when he stops playing football.

"He lives and works in Aberdeen so Peterhead are the right club to support Rory as he can achieve both career goals with us.

"He had many offers to return to full-time football but he is sensible lad and those opportunities will still be there if he continues to play to the level he is capable of with Peterhead."
The Aberdeen-born player began his career with his hometown club before making his name with Inverness CT, including a spell on loan at Peterhead.
After being released by the Highland side in January 2009, McAllister signed for Brechin, scoring 34 goals in his first season with the club.

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Quite surprised that he's turned down offers on football in the Premier league

Edited at 14:23 Sat 25/06/11 (BST)

http://www.heartsfc.co.uk/articles/20110624/hearts-statement_2241384_2381659

Easily the most bizzare statement I have ever heard from a football club. And it's not even about Craig Thomson.

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Rory McAllister is in his final year of a plumbing apprenticeship in that area that he needs only part-time football for.

Jeez, they are more paranoid than Celtic

Goodwillie too expensive. Not content with buying players over the past 50 years just to weaken the opposition Rangers are now complaining about them being too expensive. They'll soon be telling Scottish teams to pay them to take top players off their hands!

Poison.

Dundee Utd have every right to sell players at any price. Goodwillie is a really good player and is easily capable of higher things.

I would like him to stay at Utd though, it means they can build a generally better team behind Conway and Goodwillie.

Hope they get some good signings, Dundee utd and Rangers both.

Craig Conway is a Cardiff City player Dave.

In my own personal opinion Rangers and Celtic have recently become less attracive than for transferring players than Championship clubs in general. It is now very clear that players would sooner play for 2nd tier english clubs than our two premier clubs (Boyd, Conway, Burke.. the list goes on). I know I'm probably gaining quite a reputation for being very anti-Old Firm and almost as the voice of 'the rest' on this thread, although I'd rather be though of as balanced and unbiased but that's a different argument.

And I do not gloat in the slightest, in my opinion the old firm losing out on players does weaken them and does make the leagues more competitive, so much so that I can see the Scottish league becoming slightly more open in the next couple of decades, notice I say decades it will take some time.

I however am undecided on what is good for the Scottish game. I remember a time I was excited at going to East End Park to see Gazza, Di Canio, Laudrup, Van Bronckhurst, Larsson visiting. Now there is no-one to look forward to, in my opinion the best player in Scotland is Naismith followed by Kayal, but it would be total disillusion to compare them to the Old Firm players of old. So that's been lost in our game. But then the likes of Hearts can maybe even break into the top 2 and the likes of St Johnstone, St Mirren, Killie and even ourselves (Pars) see the Old Firm games as potential matches where a point may be picked up

Edited at 02:17 Sun 26/06/11 (BST)

Needed another post.

My assessment is that we are getting close to embarking on a period where there is little difference between the Old Firm and the cream of the rest (Hearts and Dundee Utd namely).

Now obviously I know the majority (all) that seem to post here are Old Firm fans, but I also know that the majority aren't that blinkered and ripping yourselves away from the fact you support a team in the SPL at all and without comparing ourselves to any other leagues, how do you think the recent and (looking like prolonged) weakening of the Scottish league's top clubs has left our national sport and I don't just mean relative to the national team, euopean competition or quality, but for the one's that matter, the general (for arguments sake neutral) paying spectator?

Edited at 02:19 Sun 26/06/11 (BST)

I don't think the top clubs have weakened. If anything i believe they've become stronger in the last 15 years, but that's me.

I wasn't aware Conway was a Cardiff player, just read he transferred a few days ago, shame but i wish him all the best.

Hearts urged to sack online sex offender Craig Thomson

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-13918842

I think the whole of Scotland are urging Hearts to sack him. I'm amazed he still has his job.

Once upon a time the Old Firm would deal regularly with top club in Europe such as Flo (Chelsea), Van Bronkhust (in via Feyenoord and then onto Arsenal), Gazza (in via Lazio and out to Middlesborough), Di Canio (in via AC Milan and then onto Sheffield Wednesday). That's to name just a few.

In fact, Reno Gattuso and Stephane Guivarc'h both have World Cup winners medals and Caniggia and Van Bronkhorst have runner up medals.

Nowadays, the Old Firm are forced to deal with lower league English clubs and the rest of the SPL. Kris Boyd, Steven Whittaker, Gary Hooper, Kirk Broadfoot, Neil Alexander, Scott Brown, Anthony Stokes, Mark Wilson, Kris Commons, Joe Ledley, Darren O'Dea, Charlie Mulgrew.

Even European competition it's clearly evident. Granted Rangers made a UEFA Cup final in 2004 but not by being the better side most of the time but by very good tactics to stop better teams playing against them (not knocking it, fantastic achievement) but not of the same class as the Celtic side of 2008 and the Rangers team that was a whisker away from a Champions League final in 1993.

So I've not understanding of how it isn't clear that the Old Firm are weaker.

Last 2 games done us, and i believe Marseille were penalized later on for bribing the referee in a game vs Rangers.
Proud that they were undefeated in Europe that season.

You're quite right about Marseille.

see at the end of the day as far is europe is conerned for scottish clubs....fact.....aberdeen and celtic showed the rest how its done

Rangers in 72 don't forget!

Apparently Craig Thomsons been saked...

Ahem, 1962: Dunfermline 6-2 Valencia

1969 cup winners cup semi finalists.

The 60's was all just Dunfermline and Celtic really. Both benefitting from jock stein.

Didn't Hibs do something once upon a time?

Hmm haven't seen or heard anything about that.

One of Hearts' sponsors, MacBee Water, have withdrawn their sponsorship from the club


http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=780&fid=289&act=1&mid=2117102369

Saw it on bbc 3's 60 second sports news information bar. So no idea if it's all fibs tbh.

There's quite a lot of Scottish teams who have had glory in Europe. Shame those days are gone (as you were referring to old firm in a previous post Colin) I can never see Hibs, Aberdeen or Hearts going the distance in Europe anymore.

Neil Danns has decided to go to Leicester City

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13927387.stm

Yet again players are choosing money over medals