YAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! I just got confirmation that i have a ticket for the Uefa Cup Final in Manchester!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only 35 quid, because of a ballot through Rangers continuous credit card debit scheme!!!!! YEEEEEEEEHAH!!! I'm so excited, I'm trying to laugh, but i can't!!!!!
crush the russians then wreck the city I wanna read front page news on scots slaughtering mancs with their claymores
A quote for the UEFA guide to Manchester! "I am delighted to welcome you to Manchester for this year’s UEFA Cup Final. If recent finals are anything to go by, we can expect plenty of drama and goals." Clearly this guy has not watched Rangers this season!
Well not long to go and I shall be off to Manchester! I've kinda accepted the fact that I shall be watching the game in one of the fan zones. My cousin paid £800 for his ticket! I just can't justify that at the moment. Anyway here is hoping to a Rangers win! Smith urging Rangers final push http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/7398453.stm Rangers guide http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/7397369.stm Zenit guide http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/7398400.stm Rangers convoy hits road to final http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7398248.stm
Congrats to Rangers for a good run...I will admit, I am not a big fan of the style that they play, and was supremely frustrated after the first 45...Zenit played too many balls in the air, without our target striker that was a losing proposition 100% of the time...accurate touches to foot on the ground was eventually going to break that 6 in the back, it took a while but eventually got done. I doubt that there will be many arguments that the better team won tonight. But, I give credit to Rangers for sticking with the formula that got them this far, and if it wasn't for an unfortunate tangle at the top of the box, the game could have well been 1:1 late, heading into ET. I will say this...once Denisov slotted the winner home, Rangers looked almost lost as to what to do, save for that final chance right before the end of FT, which shouldn't have happened save for 3 Zenit defenders being completely our of place and mising their marks...should have been an unpardonable set of errors. P.S. Sideways congrats to all the Celtic fans who supported our side today, the help and prayers were very welcome
And most people aren't a big fan of teams purchasing a trophy, which is undoubtedly what we saw tonight. As a neutral there was only one team for me to support, the one who built their team naturally, balancing their cashflow and financials. There is no pride or glory in going out and paying over the odds for players over and over again on the back of Gazprom's finances for a club which otherwise couldn't afford those players. Your comments are self-righteous, snide, and back-handed in nature. It will be enjoyable watching Zenit crash down to earth when Gazprom leaves. I'd rather deal with negative soccer than deal with the Zenit and Chelsea backed teams of the world.
ever wondered how Rangers and Celtic manage to finish 1st and 2nd and qualify for european competition season in/season out....?
Uh, well, its quite simple, they have the largest followings in the nation. There's nothing wrong with that, its organic revenue from supporters and marketing activities, the way football clubs are supposed to be run. Not like a fantasy team. Its not like either Rangers or Celtic are splashing millions on transfers like the £10 million Zenith for Tymoschuk, the €7 million splashed on Dominguez, and the €4 million for Hubočan (all last summer). This doesn't even consider the fees cost to acquire Zyrianov and Pogrebnyak (both undisclosed). Plus their wage structure is apparently out of this world as the salaries rumored to keep Arshavin are enormous. But I'm sure you knew all of this and weren't just taking the piss...right?
and Rangers haven't splashed that sort of cash before? David Murray mints hasn't helped bankroll them in any way, shape or form? only five years ago Rangers debt was nearly £68mill. but you knew this ... right? at the beginning of this season Murray raised a share issue to reduce their debt. after the share issue the debt was reduced to around the £20mill mark. during the share issue some financial experts wondered why the prospectus mentioned Rangers had lined up £37mill of borrowing facilities from the Bank of Scotland. but you'd rather support a team that balances it's cashflow and financials... perhaps you're just pissed that Rangers lost tonight. that's fair enough but it's hardly fair to have a whack at a guy who came on to commiserate to the other teams fans.
Money doesnt always buy a championship and we all know that. In the end its 11 men vs 11 men (plus subs) and the best team won. I'm sure there were teams with higher payrolls that fell by the wayside during the tournament.
As a Fiorentina and Celtic supporter, I actually feel a bit for the rangers support tonight. I remember 2003 like it was yesterday, and I remember the Fiorentina match like, well, it almost was yesterday. Anyhow - good run rangers.
You have absolutely ZERO idea of what you are talking about. Zyria was a bargain 2m pickup from a relegated Torpedo last year, Hubocan was half of your quoted fee spent out of the record Skrtel transfer feel to 'Pool. Celtic narrowly lost out on the bid for Tymo 2 years ago, the bids were close but Tymo doesn't speak English and preferred to stick close to home. Obviously Juventus will try to convince him otherwise during the summer transfer window. As I said before, in the UEFA forum, try to at least learn something about what you are talking about before downing that last beer Sorry your squad lost, but that's no reason to start your new career in creative fiction. Oh, but I'm sure you knew all of that and weren't just taking the piss, right, Mr. Windy City?
Let him whine. We from Costa Rica get the same thing from Americans every time we kick them out. He is acting rather childish. The Scottish also said the same things after we beat them in Italy 1990. Well, the UEFA Cup is coming back to Russia. And, from what I understand, Russia will be getting TWO spots in the UEFA Champions League Group Phase which you guys have earned without complaining about your league schedule, the draw, your opponent's home advantage, etc.
Just FYI, your post was garbage from start to finish. Rangers spent in the late 90's / early 00's based on an assumption of future cash flows from operations. It was a calculated approach (and one that almost every major corporation uses at some point) but one that ultimately backfired as that stream of cashflows never developed. In today's enviornment, the club would be able to securitize future cash flows (similar to what some clubs have done with ticket sales) to remove uncertainty and lock in amounts to ensure their spending doesn't materially differ from the actual funds to be realized. Even when this happened, its not as if Murray dipped into his own pocket and wiped the debt out. Rather, he kept all of the debt isolated from his personal finances and ran the club as you would a business, reducing transfer spending and cutting the wage bill. The years of 2001-2006 were years which saw the debt maintained/reduced as a result. Make no mistake, when David Murray does eventually sell his controlling stake in Rangers, the return on his £6 million investment will be significant. Compare that to the situation with Zenit where Gazprom is injecting millions of their own funds into the club rather then amassing club debt and is building a new self-financed stadium which appears to have no chance of producing a positive ROI.
In defense Gordon. I'd say maybe 1 in every 15 that were there were pretty hot. Gutted about the result but what a day.