stillresigned

Is there no way this farce can be brought to an end its a total embaressment, for a wee change

Yes, I'd agreee, though as usual in Scotland wee diddy teams issues don't get the coverage. Mind I'm glad the Hibs won.

I feel that any decision about proffesional sport will always be taken with financial concerns playing a prominent part. What however makes Michael Johnstones comment particularly cringeworthy, is that he effectively says that Rangers can do whatever they want and the other clubs have no alternative but to meekly accept their behaviour. Its one thing being financially realistic, in my view its another entirely to accept your sole role is to act as the supporting cast for a crowd of sectarian bigots whose so called history and identity seems to involve nothing more than thinking they have a right to express vile sectarian and other abuse to all and sundry. This is totally ignored by the media in this country, or treated as an acceptable part of life. My God what kind of society do we mant to bring our children up in. And tw*ts like Jonston are exactly the sort to bang on about traditional family values! Apologies for going a bit off topic myself, but I feel sport must retain at least a figleaf of integrity and honesty or otherwhise whats the point?

I'm afraid I disagree, the social prominence of football to a certain degree means that it does significantly reflect the prevailing mores of Scottish society. The inability of the Scottish footballing authorities to deal equtably with the conduct of Rangers does not in my view assist those of us who support independence. Instead, it raises questions about Scotlands political matuirity and whether Scotland can escape the shacles of the past.

Agaist mt better judgement I tried to watch the Motherwell game on ESPN, apart from being an un-shamed Hunfest the coverage left me in no doubt as to who the real victims in this sorry saga are. That of course is the poor innocent Rangers support duped by (Sir) David Murray into accepting all that horrid success. Every time that I consider myself too hard on them, up pops the Scottish establishment to remind me why I hate them and evryything they represent.

I can only second the messages on here, a genuine Thistle legend.

It's really difficult to try and retain a sense of prortion when all around you tw8ts like Doncaster andrags like the Daily Ranger are regularly commiting crimes against common sense and fair play. Nonetheless, it is important that we retain a sense of reality amidst what is becoming daily an avalache of news speak. What we are seeing is the inevitable outcome of an overmighty subject i.e. Rangers being accussed of having no clothes. Further, it is a vindication of the late Desmond White views on television and football. I find it difficult to credit that a footballing body would be so lacking in legal acumen as to allow a broadcaster to have a virtual veto on its member clubs. Make no mistake thats what we have in Scotland, to add to al our other problems, football is now de facto the property of Skt/ESPN. We obviously have no need for concern then i've got to say that I have very little faith in the governance of Scottish football at all levels and a similar level of trust in any Murdoch front company. Anyone for tennis?

The whole Rangers saga apart from being particularly unedifiying and tiresome reveals the fundamental faultline in Scottish Football and some may even infer in Scottish society itself. Without wishing to attribute Manichean motives to the discussion, it is clear that we have reached a point of fundamental divergence from the status quo. If Scottish football needs the continued unreformed involvement of one club and its supporters then surely that raises some fairly existential questions of Scottish Football? In fact the entire edifice is built on a house of cards. You get the feeling that to remove such a supposedly important building block as Glasgow Rangers the whole building will come crashing down. Indeed, if the authorities in this country seek simply to apply a cosmetic renovation job without a thorough overhaul of their procedures this is exactly what will happen. Instead, the Rangers saga,, provides the powers that be with an (almost!) wholly unexpected avenue and legitimacy of pursuing change. They dare not refuse to pursue it , or Scottish football will die.

If those in positions of authority in Scottish Football have their way it effectively says to 37 teams there is one law for you, but another one for Rangers, whatever semantics are adopted. Personally, I find that unacceptable, not as it realistically dents the onward march of Thistle to world football domination(!), but rather it fundamentally undermines the concept of professional sport or indeed the notion of any sporting contest at all. Partick Thistle are never likely to challenge Barcelona, but nonetheless we would all expect that should they do so at some point in the future the rules of the competition were fair and equitable. This is patently not the case if a newco Rangers are allowed re-admission to the SPL. If they are, I would have to consider my attendance at Firhill, or indeed at any ground in Scotland. I can only hope that the threat of UEFA oversight will engender a more enlightened and satisfactory approach from the SFA. I will not hold my breath- however in light of the many twists that this fiasco has taken one never knows. However nil desperandum, this could give the green light for Celtic to move down South and to be honest I could hardly disagree with them if sporting integrity were the basis of any such move. That would create the situation where a non-Rangers set up could be considered in Scotland.That in my opinion would be the ideal, however being realistic the obvious solution to avoid the meltdown of Sottish football would be foe ALL clubs to insist that any Rangers newco begin life in the Third Division.

I see the SPL have delayed the decision on the introduction of the so called fair play rules- silly me thinking things have always been fair and above board in the Scottish game! Nonetheless, this decision to do nothing for the minute could have a variety of reasons, well depending of course your a Currant Bun or not. Also I also hear the Dark Knights have just submitted their 249th(at the time of writing) bid for control of Rangers. Its strange that a team which supposedly carries the hopes of many Scots, seems incapable of mounting a credible rescue package. I mean supposedly "smaller" clubs like Hibs, ourselves and even Scumdee have managed this feat, maybe Rangers are not as central to 21st Century Scotland as is generally thought. Of course it could be that, to paraphrase Mills I'm not saying Rangers fans are generally stupid, but stupid people are generally Rangers supporters.

I'd actually prefer the Hibs to stay up and obviously win the cup, but obviously whoever stays up will deserve it. I bet Dunfermiline are kicking themselves for not appointing Jeffries sooner, despite his obvious lack of charisma, he is a super manager at SPL level.

Well I see the Daily Ranger is living up to its name and printing a D-I-Y guide for protesting Currant Buns! It would be sad if it wasn't true, leaving aside the impartiality of the press, this march is likely to be an unofficial Orange parade, no doubt replete with flutes etc. and the standards of behaviour we all know and love, Can there seriously be any doubt, that recent events from Super Ally's demands for the outing of tribunal members to the simplistic rantings of disgruntled "fans" that the moronic element of the support represent not a tiny minority, but in fact are analogous with the true identity of Rangers Football Club. Will they not accept for once that the predicament they find themselves in is due not to the machinations of the SFA, UEFA. the rest of Scottish football, Celtic, the Pope or Catholics in general, but purely and simply .on the incompetence of those running the club.

In all honesty, I can't blame the player for wanting to better himself. Have to give him and Jackie great credit for this years performances. it does get you down that Thistle loss good players all the time, but I'm afraid that's very much the nature of the best, that is being a small club with very little money.

Don't relish stating the unpalletable truth but I'm afraid that it does in fact quite acurately reflect the mores of a not insubstantial section of Scottish society, much to my personal regret.

I am absolutely sick and fed up listening to these mutant muppets struggle to comprehend rules and norms of behaviour that the vast majority are forced to comply with. GTTF!

To be totally honest, I've got absolutely no sympathy for this mob at all. It's wel past the time that this lot are sorted out and Scottish football and society, dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st cantury.l

Oh so we're not gonna see Messi and Xavi at Firhill then, drat.

To be totally honest I've long since given up on getting anything like a balanced or informative account of news in general and anything to do with Rangers in particular, from the gentlemen of the press. Alex Thomson of Channel 4 has shed more light on the goings on at Ibrox, than the Scottish media have did in years.

Doesn;t surprinse me at all, I'm afraid Hearts have a section of their support who think its clever to copy our South side neighbours. However, unlike the Currant Buns I don't think most Hearts fans are bigots. Still in memory of being hit with a pie at Tynecastle at a Jags game in 1980( Ian Jardine scoring a great winner with minutes to go!), I hope the Hibs stuff 'em.

Just a quick post to say thanks to the steward who found my wallet at Firhill this afternoon.

Was really dissappointed in County, they reminded me of the Inverness team that got promoted to the SPL except their worse. One would imagine that poor though the SPL actually is, that they will be straight back down. This is not sour grapes, they deserve their promotion.

Sound idea, now I know they'll be on sale I'll proactivelly, look for them!

Seems to me to have, the of an mprimatur of an SFA/Establishment campaign to let a certain team accussed of nefarious` dealings off the hook,; by painting there all at it scenario. You think that if they were gonna do that, they could come up with a more credible exculpation of the current buns- aye right!

The truly astomishing thing about this whole episode is that the Rangers glee club are set on focusing attention on the "bravery" of Super Ally and his band of heroes at negotiating pay cuts, whilst at the same time ignoring or at the very least downplaying the uncomfortable realities of the whole situation. Thiat been that the currant buns have been caught cheating their competitors and no amount of hand or indeed sash wringing is going to change that simple fact.. Put simply why should the non-cheating clubs, accept any rules that will be changed if they impinge negatively on Rangers?

I like many posters would have to say if the curant buns are just told to say "sorry" and re-admitted to the SPL it would seriously damage the integrity of the football authourities. I would have to say that if that scenario was played out, it would give considerable credence to the conspiracy theories that emanate from the East End of Glasgow., much as it pains me to acknowledge it. In fact I believe so many non-Rangers fans are sick to death of the cheating barstewards, that the SFA/SPL would be effectively dising a fair chunk of their customers, plus ca change1