Football_Legend
02 Mar 2007, 01:52 PM
Gers invite to play Becks’ Galaxy
by Darrell King
RANGERS are weighing up an offer to play cash-rich American side LA Galaxy in a lucrative end-of-season friendly.
SportTimes can reveal that Walter Smith's side have been invited to the US to play the team who have signed David Beckham for next season in the biggest pay-deal in football history.
Smith has canvassed his squad and the players are keen on playing the MLS side in a fixture that would earn the club a significant pay-day.
The friendly is being pencilled in for the week after Rangers complete their SPL season on Sunday, May 20.
With no Scottish Cup Final particpation, several of the Ibrox squad would like to keep ticking over before they meet up for international duty with their respective countries for the Euro 2008 double headers on June 2 and June 6.
Scotland will travel to Austria for a friendly on May 30. But a trip to LA would give the likes of Barry Ferguson, Kris Boyd and Davie Weir a game before they meet up with Alex McLeish's squad ahead of that trip, and the qualifier in the Faroe Islands.
Rangers today confirmed Galaxy's approach and a spokesman said: "The club is considering a number of options, but nothing is confirmed."
It is also believed that a number of lucrative offers for pre-season tours were discussed at a Rangers board meeting this week. The Ibrox club has been criticised for not cashing in like Celtic have on friendly matches abroad.
But they now appear to be making their own in-roads into what is a lucrative market.
Celtic have earned big money by travelling to the US and Japan. They will also provide the opposition in Beckham's first game when they face an MLS All-Stars select on July 19 in Colorado.
Rangers, meantime, have sold the rights to both legs of their Uefa Cup last 16 tie against Osasuna to Spanish TV company Canal Plus.
For just the second time ever, they paid Osasuna up front to obtain control of all TV coverage.
Canal Plus will screen both legs live in Spain, with the BBC in talks over showing both matches in this country.
With a 50,000 sell-out crowd and add ons from clever TV dealings, Rangers could bank around £2m, with progression to the quarter-finals worth another £3m.
Uefa have a new centralised TV contract for the 13 matches from the quarter-finals through to the final itself at Hampden on May 16. Teams who make the last eight will be paid £1.2m from that pot, and will also receive a £215,000 bonus from Uefa.
With another sell-out home gate, reaching the last eight would then bring a further £3m into the coffers.
Smith, meantime, hinted today that Stefan Klos could line up against Hibs on Sunday.
The German veteran will have to play against Osasuna next week in place of the suspended Allan McGregor.
"It would be unsettling to lose Allan as we've had a bit of stability in the back four and the goalkeeping position," Smith said.
"But we have a really experienced keeper in Stefan. Whether he plays at Hibs is something we'll decide on over the next 24 hours.
"Stefan is ready to come in if necessary."
Publication date 02/03/07
http://eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.1231533.0.0.php
by Darrell King
RANGERS are weighing up an offer to play cash-rich American side LA Galaxy in a lucrative end-of-season friendly.
SportTimes can reveal that Walter Smith's side have been invited to the US to play the team who have signed David Beckham for next season in the biggest pay-deal in football history.
Smith has canvassed his squad and the players are keen on playing the MLS side in a fixture that would earn the club a significant pay-day.
The friendly is being pencilled in for the week after Rangers complete their SPL season on Sunday, May 20.
With no Scottish Cup Final particpation, several of the Ibrox squad would like to keep ticking over before they meet up for international duty with their respective countries for the Euro 2008 double headers on June 2 and June 6.
Scotland will travel to Austria for a friendly on May 30. But a trip to LA would give the likes of Barry Ferguson, Kris Boyd and Davie Weir a game before they meet up with Alex McLeish's squad ahead of that trip, and the qualifier in the Faroe Islands.
Rangers today confirmed Galaxy's approach and a spokesman said: "The club is considering a number of options, but nothing is confirmed."
It is also believed that a number of lucrative offers for pre-season tours were discussed at a Rangers board meeting this week. The Ibrox club has been criticised for not cashing in like Celtic have on friendly matches abroad.
But they now appear to be making their own in-roads into what is a lucrative market.
Celtic have earned big money by travelling to the US and Japan. They will also provide the opposition in Beckham's first game when they face an MLS All-Stars select on July 19 in Colorado.
Rangers, meantime, have sold the rights to both legs of their Uefa Cup last 16 tie against Osasuna to Spanish TV company Canal Plus.
For just the second time ever, they paid Osasuna up front to obtain control of all TV coverage.
Canal Plus will screen both legs live in Spain, with the BBC in talks over showing both matches in this country.
With a 50,000 sell-out crowd and add ons from clever TV dealings, Rangers could bank around £2m, with progression to the quarter-finals worth another £3m.
Uefa have a new centralised TV contract for the 13 matches from the quarter-finals through to the final itself at Hampden on May 16. Teams who make the last eight will be paid £1.2m from that pot, and will also receive a £215,000 bonus from Uefa.
With another sell-out home gate, reaching the last eight would then bring a further £3m into the coffers.
Smith, meantime, hinted today that Stefan Klos could line up against Hibs on Sunday.
The German veteran will have to play against Osasuna next week in place of the suspended Allan McGregor.
"It would be unsettling to lose Allan as we've had a bit of stability in the back four and the goalkeeping position," Smith said.
"But we have a really experienced keeper in Stefan. Whether he plays at Hibs is something we'll decide on over the next 24 hours.
"Stefan is ready to come in if necessary."
Publication date 02/03/07
http://eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.1231533.0.0.php