Rangers look forward

After a torrid few months, it's suddenly all going right for Rangers.

The squabbles over cancelled lucrative friendlies during pre-season have been forgotten, and focus has switched from the players who have left to the new arrivals who have been coming through the door - few in number, but decent enough to placate the fans.

Maximum points from their first two games in the SPL, too, even if both matches had a few issues of concern. The opening fixture was a narrow win over Killie, but a win nonetheless, while on Sunday Rangers reminded us all why we don't like them, with a disgraceful challenge from Kyle Lafferty and blatant cheating from Alan McGregor.

Lafferty got sent off for his antics and McGregor got a yellow for pretending Derek Riordan had hit him in the face - no complaints there. But any sense of justice was removed by the fact Kevin McBride and Riordan also got the same punishment - just for being in the vicinity, it seemed. You can bet that Hibs will be fired up for the Ibrox return.

Still, later today Rangers find out who their opponents will be in the Champions League group stage. As they are in pot three, there will be no easy route out of the group, but Rangers will be hoping for glamour and prestige aplenty, as well as looking forward to the money that will be coming their way.

Could it be that Rangers are dragging themselves out of their financial hole?

"A wee bit special"

That's how Walter Smith described retaining the SPL title, after a 1-0 win at Hibs.

To make it all the more satisfying for the old man, the goal came from Kyle Lafferty, Smith's most criticised signing, who has rarely looked worth the £3.5m the club paid for him.

So credit where it's due - Rangers might have flopped badly in the Champions League group stage (again, though Walter Smith is used to that), they might have surrended the Scottish Cup too easily, and Celtic might have shot themselves in both feet this season, but they kept their eyes on the prize in the league, and came through with three games to spare.

Despite his achievements, there's no guarantee Smith or his management team will stay on next season. Off the field, Rangers are in a real mess - in debt by at least £30m, with a tough austerity plan imposed by their bank to try and reduce the debt.

The Glasgow Herald laid out the problems in excrutiating detail - suffice to say, unless a new buyer can be found soon (and that looks very unlikely), there will be no spending spree on the squad this summer.

Any potential buyers have been put off by a tax claim from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, which seems to believe that Rangers have been avoiding paying tax on payments to players by shuffling money through off-shore accounts. Despite Rangers being Her Maj's most loyal club, the Revenue seem unwilling to overlook this small matter.

So, despite their triumph, the future isn't looking all that rosy for Rangers. Their predicament does, however, might make the club more willing to listen to ideas to change Scottish football. And this can only be a good thing.

Saints deliver another home thrashing

When St Johnstone beat Hibs 5-1 in mid-February, it was the Hibees' John Hughes who came under pressure. After a promising start to the season, the wheels had come off and they had been hammered by a newly promoted team who many had expected to be fighting for SPL survival this season.

What to say now, after the Perth side beat Rangers 4-1 last night?

Well, firstly, credit where it's due. Let's not talk about Rangers, but rather how the home team once again turned in an energetic and astute performance, and thoroughly deserved their win.

They were helped on their way by an outrageous strike from on-loan Cillian Sheridan (who has generally disappointed) and a deflected shot that wrong-footed Alan MacGregor. But Rangers got a goal back to make the scoreline 2-1 after just 16 minutes. Surely enough time for the Champions Elect to mount a comeback? Clearly not.

But we also have to mention that, as with his predecessor Owen Coyle, manager Derek McInnes will be attracting a lot of interest from other clubs now. Saints have probably managed to fend off any would-be new employers until the summer, but may struggle to hold on to their gaffer for next season.

Mind you, if they can keep finding people like him and Coyle to run the club, there won't be much to worry about.

Lost in Sectarianism

And so to one of our irregular features on We Love Fitba, which we'll call Lost in Sectarianism in a nod to the Marina Hyde blog in the Guardian.

It's Sunday, and we're at Ibrox, for the third Old Firm match of the season, one that Celtic had to win to maintain any hope of winning the title. But it was off the field where the other battle for (moral) superiority in Glasgow was waged.

Here's the developments so far, but don't feel guilty if you feel like nodding off at any point. Falling asleep with boredom is far preferable to contemplating the depressing reality of Old Firm sectarian hand-wringing in the 21st century.

Rangers elected to begin the afternoon's proceedings with a minute's silence for Gerry Neef. Gerry who? you might say, but obscurity is no barrier to sanctimony these days, especially if your next game is against your hated rivals and you'd just love an opportunity to try and show them up.

Truth be told, if you found 10 Rangers fans who claimed detailed knowledge of Gerry Neef's career at the club, at least nine of them would be lying (he made a total of 48 appearances in the late 60s / early 70s). Nontheless, they all now demanded a minute's silence so that they could pay their respects to a man most had never heard of.

As it happens, the silence was fairly well observed, even though it was reported as "disrupted" in most media reports. Whether it was really disrupted by a handful of Celtic morons, or a larger mob of Rangers fans just itching to shout "scummy bastards!" as soon as they heard a pin drop, is open to debate.

But this episode was just the warm-up to the afternoon's main show piece. Rangers Community Foundation had chosen this match as the ideal event to honour Falkland's vet Simon Weston, who'd given a talk to the Foundation the day before.

Hmm, the Falkland Islands? Haven't they been in the news recently? Surely Rangers wouldn't co-opt one man's terrible injuries and inspirational recovery to make a political point? Are we really that cynical these days?

Sure enough, as Simon Weston was presented with his royal blue shirt at half time, the cameras scanned the Celtic enclosure, seeking any sign of disrespect. The headline just waiting for a story? Rangers support Our Boys. Fenian "scummy bastards" don't.

They found a Celtic fan waving an Argentina shirt around, Scotland's second favourite strip since 1986. This, it was deemed by the Sun, was enough to run the story about how a "twisted Celtic fan" taunted a war hero.

Spurred on by faux outrage, there's now a facebook page where you can register your own disgust at his behaviour, and help to track the offending tim down.

Of course, it is almost too easy to point out that cheap finger-pointing like this is all the more embarassing when it involves a man who met and befriended the Argentinian pilot who dropped the bomb that injured him so badly.

In other words, Simon Weston demonstrates forgiveness and understanding, and a mature world view that our two bigot brothers could barely comprehend, let alone emulate. If Rangers wanted to "honour" this man, maybe trying to build bridges with their neighbour, rather than perpetually wind them up, might be more appropriate?

It might also be stated that - at a time when the prospective next Foreign Secretary of the UK has recently tried to reprise the jingoistic fervour of the Falklands conflict - there has never been a better time to dig out our Argentina shirts and show that we, as a people, have moved on.

But no, Rangers have been declared winners in this round, so we must direct our anger as appropriate. Exploiting charitably-minded war heroes for cheap stunts is fine. Holding a national shirt of another country should be a criminal offence.

Rangers win the SPL

Well, it's all over now, isn't it? Rangers won the Old Firm derby yesterday and are now 10 points clear - there's no way Celtic are coming back from there.

Tony Mowbray could point out that the match was very even, that maybe a few decisions went against them (fuelling the current sense of injustice at Celtic) - and he'd be right.

But then everyone else could point out that truly clever managers find a way to keep getting results while changing their team. Instead, Celtic have dropped far too many points while Mowbray has tried to get to grips with the job. Walter Smith - a man with his own problems to deal with - has basically mugged him this season.

It means the title race has basically been decided before the split, not what the SPL needs to maintain interest in the rest of the season.

Any consolations? Well, we probably already know the make-up of the top six (Aberdeen look out of it) and Dundee Utd, Hibs, Hearts and Motherwell could yet give us some twists and turns in the battle for two qualifying spots in the Europa League.

And maybe, just maybe, Falkirk will pick themselves up and make a real fight of staying in the Division.

Derby draws

Sunday saw the Old Firm and the two Edinburgh clubs square up for their New Year derbies - and in the end, both matches finished all square. It was a missed opportunity for the green halves of both cities.

At least Celtic played well. Tony Mowbray has been asking for patience from the supporters for months, as he gets his team to play the way he wants them to, and yesterday Celtic looked like a cohesive team. With better finishing, they would have buried Rangers - even Walter Smith conceded that his side were lucky to earn a draw.

Mowbray has also been dropping heavy hints that players will move on this month - but unlike Smith, he will have money to reinvest in his squad. The Rangers boss is hoping no bids come in, because he can't be sure that the bank will let him spend any of the proceeds. January could be a pivotal month for the SPL title race.

It's a race that Hibs won't be involved in. Getting a draw in the first Edinburgh Derby of the season at Tynecastle was a creditable result, but at home they really should have imposed themselves more on the game. As it was, a poor first half ended with a goal for Hearts. Hibs then equalised early in the second half, but couldn't get another.

In other respects, it was a fiery encounter, with Darren McCormack and Ruben Palazuelos sent off for head-butting eachother, robust tackles aplenty, and a smoke canister thrown from the Hearts support as well. All good stuff, but sadly there was little quality football.

Still, Hibs remain fairly comfortable in third, a good place to be going into the second half of the season. Hearts have surged up the table in recent weeks, but with the usual off-the-field chaos don't expect it to last.

Pretenders to the crown

Just as soon as people started talking up a serious challenge to the Old Firm in the SPL this season, events conspired to put a stop to such rash chat.

Firstly, Dundee Utd lost their manager, with Craig Levein deciding that he rather fancied a tilt at the Scotland job after all. It's hard to see how this won't derail the Arabs' strong start to the season - Levein was not just first team coach, but influential at all levels of the club.

And now Hibs have been thoroughly beaten by Rangers, to put a little perspective on the Edinburgh club's true quality. Too open and too mistake-prone, they were undone by a team who - European failings apart - know how to get a result in Scotland.

What does all this tell us? Well, Rangers still have their problems, but these will be lessened if Celtic can't keep them from top spot this season, and they get back into the Champions League group stages next autumn. Both outcomes would bring much-needed additional money into the club, helping to appease the bank, and lessen the pressure to spend money they don't have on new players.

Hibs still look to be the strongest of the chasing pack, despite ending their unbeaten run. What they need is consistency - a third place finish this term, with positive signs of development, would give the club a better platform to try and push on again next season.

Rangers are the runts of the "easy" group

When the draw for this season's Champions League group stages were announced, the Daily Record pronounced Group G - which Rangers were in - as the "Group of Dull".

Yep, Sevilla, Stuttgart and Unirea Urziceni were all boring, you see, so Rangers would qualify from the group. New chairman Alistair Johnston said as much:

"We go into this campaign feeling, quite rightly, as if we have a realistic chance of making the last 16."

Rangers have fallen so far short that it's barely worth asking where it went wrong. Conceding 10 goals at home - while only scoring 2 - is not down to poor tactics or choosing the wrong personnel, but rather a team hopelessly ill-equipped for the competition.

Having missed out on the Europa League, too, Rangers can now stop heaping further embarassment on Scottish football in Europe and "concentrate on domestic duties", as the old saying goes.

Good. This has been a miserable adventure. The sooner it is forgotten by everyone, the better.

Rangers fans in trouble again

Don't worry though, it's all UEFA's fault, according to Martin Bain. Apparently, there weren't enough turnstiles open, so inevitably the supporters were compelled to rip out some seats and confront the stewards.

Is any club as unlucky as the lovable blue noses? Whenever they play a fixture away from Scotland, there seems to be some kind of controversy or other, and it's never, ever their fault. Trouble does seem to follow them round, and some might wonder if it's the Rangers fans themselves who are to blame... but, of course, that can't be right.

Oh, they drew 1-1 with Unirea Urziceni last night, so still have a slim chance of making the knock-out phase of the Champions League.

That's lucky, eh?

Now Rangers fans threaten the bank

In a scarcely believable twist to an already extraordinary plot line, a consortium of Rangers supporters organisations have decided to threaten Lloyds Banking Group with a boycott if the "club's current situation is worsened by their actions".

If any fans are stupid enough to believe that boycotting Rangers' bank is an appropriate response to the "current situation", then Lloyds will no doubt be delighted to get the sub-prime eejits off their books. They've got a credit rating to worry about, after all.

Hubris aside, it's quite breathtaking how a group of supporters can so spectacularly vent their spleen at the wrong target. Let's be clear - Rangers have got themselves into a pickle entirely of their own making, and the bank, owed £30m, is in no position to do them a favour.

But with David Murray in hiding, the new chairman operating from safe distance (about 4,000 miles away from Glasgow), and Walter Smith and Martin Bain seemingly untouchable, perhaps the bank is the only target left.

The statement goes on to call for a swift sale of the club - but to who? It's been for sale for years, with no takers, and as Murray's other businesses continue to tank, who would front up with cash now?

One of the groups behind the statement, the Rangers Supporters Trust, has a dream of owning the club one day. Has that day not arrived?

Rangers cut their own throat

Walter Smith says that Scottish football is "in danger of dying".

Well, we're certainly losing the will to live, Watty, if that's what you mean, with the incessant bleating coming from the Old Firm - as this rather fine article by Bob Brannan, Chairman of Dundee FC, makes clear.

Ronnie Esplin picks up the same theme in this piece for STV. No one is denying that Scottish football has problems (this isn't strictly true - we'll return to the head-in-the-sand merchants in a minute), but it's also clear that the stance of the ugly sisters is making things worse. By constantly moaning, they are attacking the morale of a league already suffering from the collapse of their media partner and a general drop in attendances.

Anyhow, judging by last night's performance, Rangers are not dying slowly, but are trying to kill themselves as quickly as possible. Unless they are allowed to join the Romanian League next season, of course. After all, it must be awash with money if their clubs can beat the mighty Gers so easily.

Celtic rue defensive mistakes

You get the impression that Tony Mowbray is not enjoying life at Celtic as much as he hoped. Instead of a team gelling under fresh leadership, Celtic seem to get rattled more and more easily as the weeks go by. This has not been a dream start for the ex-West Brom and Hibs manager.

Of course, the aftermath of an Old Firm derby defeat is always depressing for the losing party, but Mowbray - who normally defends his players in public - was uncharacteristically scathing about them after the match. He didn't mention him by name, but he was clearly seething at Glenn Loovens' performance, especially for letting the ball bounce in the area for Kenny Miller's second goal.

Sunday's first Old Firm meeting of the season exposed Celtic's problems at both ends of the park. Defensively they were a shambles, while upfront they failed to make an impact, despite enjoying lots of possession and facing a patched-up Rangers back line.

With all due credit to Rangers (and Kenny Miller, who once again excelled in this fixture), Celtic really failed to put their stamp on this game. Yes, Shaun Maloney was denied at least one clear penalty, but that doesn't excuse their myriad failings.

Of course, Celtic are also experiencing difficulties in Europe. Getting into the Champions League would always have been a tall order, especially once Celtic were drawn against Arsenal in their second qualifying tie. But the Europa League should be a rather more comfortable environment - instead, Celtic are struggling with just a point from their first two games.

The Celtic board gave Mowbray £4m to sign Marc Fortune over the summer, and N'Guemo has been a fine addition in midfield (albeit on loan), but was that enough? He was willing to listen to offers for Stephen McManus, and probably wanted to reshape the squad more than he was able to.

With their rivals in such dissarray, now would seem an ideal time for Celtic to invest in building a team that could really achieve something under the new management team. Yet again, by not spending money, Celtic seem determined to let Rangers off the hook. They have only themselves to blame.

Won't somebody please buy Rangers?

"Before accepting the role of chairman, I wanted to speak to three constituencies - the board, the management team, and the bank."

So began Alastair Johnston, in his first press conference after succeeding David Murray as Chairman of Rangers Football Club. In case anyone missed the point, he then went on to mention Rangers' reliance on "external funding" several times, leaving no doubt as to the club's biggest problem - the debt owed to the bank, which is estimated at around £25-30m. RFC are skint.

Johnston's plan to alleviate this debt burden is to renergise attempts to find a buyer for the club. How does he plan to achieve this, given that the club has been for sale for years without any serious bidders becoming public? Well, he thinks that the football landscape is changing, and he intends for Rangers to be at the forefront of that change. Given his involvement with IMG, the global marketing company, you can bet that Johnston will be pushing hard for new media-driven opportunities that will somehow include Rangers at the top table.

The press conference is well worth a watch. Downbeat and matter-of-fact, Johnston only becomes passionate later on (around the 16 minute mark on the BBC clip) when discussing potential new opportunities from media companies - ie TV. Rangers seem to be betting that they can escape the "modest revenues" of the SPL and join some sort of pan-European elite. In Johnston's words, "money talks".

Last night's game against Sevilla showed how far the present team is away from the current top European teams, while in the SPL Rangers have just stopped scoring goals. Not only is the squad in poor shape, Johnston can't promise any reinforcements in January, and Walter Smith's contract (which is also up in the new year) is still unresolved.

So even if he is right about a new, TV-driven structure for football that will enable Rangers to achieve parity with the wealthiest clubs in Europe, Johnston has short term issues to address. Unless some generous benefactor appears out of nowhere soon, expect a lot more pain at Ibrox in the coming months.

Winners and losers so far in the SPL

So... the transfer window has shut, we're three games in... who's hot and who's not in the SPL this term?

Looking Good...

Rangers have avoided any more departures, and that's a good thing for them. The income from the Champions League (they don't have to share any of it with Celtic now) will help with the cash flow at least, and the arrival of Jerome Rothen on loan from PSG adds experience and guile for those ties too.

Given that they are not even offering new contracts to anyone currently on the payroll (Kris Boyd is now in his final year), don't expect much business in January either, unless they sell first. They remain dependent on a few key players staying fit - otherwise, that title looks very vulnerable. For now, though, the Champions have made an impressive start.

A year ago, Derek Riordan returned to Hibs from Celtic for a rumoured £400,000 (big money these days for a non-OF outfit), and the Edinburgh club's chief executive described the deal as a "statement of intent". This summer, they've invested a similar sum in Anthony Stokes. Hibs now have lots of options up front and John Hughes has done some fairly radical reshaping of the rest of the squad, with Liam Miller the latest to join. It might take time to gel, but Hibs are looking promising.

So are the Arabs, with Craig Levein again pulling a rabbit out of the hat with Danny Cadamateri. Who knows how, but the well-travelled and wayward striker has hit the ground running. Dundee Utd have started well and still have a number of injured players to come back into the team. These two clubs are surely favourites for third place.

Motherwell will be pretty happy with a top six finish, but that looks on the cards following a decent start. Jim Gannon is living up to his reputation, and he's been given some money to bring in much needed strength in depth.

St. Johnstone, meanwhile, managed well-earned draws against Motherwell and Hearts, but got thumped by Celtic. That's a tough start for a promoted team, even if Hearts aren't anywhere near as good as they'd like to be, so probably a job well done. And they are scoring goals, which is crucial for the confidence.

Steady as she goes...

Neither wonderful nor woeful, St Mirren and Kilmarnock have both made respectable starts, and have legitimate reasons for optimism. As both clubs are vulnerable to being dragged into a relegation scrap, any early points are a bonus.

Early signs of shakiness...

After being dumped out of the Champions League, there were rumours that a few Celtic players might be on their way, but in the end they've all stayed. Things should be pretty peachy at Parkhead, yet somehow problems seem to be surfacing early in Tony Mowbray's tenure. The bad natured and narrow win at Hibs looked ugly, with Mowbray first orchestrating a "huddle" at the end of the game and then refusing to accept that McGeady dived (he did, and everyone knows it). A siege mentality at the end of August - is that really healthy?

Still, at least they are winning games, which is more than can be said for Hearts. Manager Csaba Laszlo has been spilling the beans about his difficult relationship with Vladimir, and we all know that Mr Romanov does not tolerate insubordination. Is his employee asking to get sacked? Hearts had a woeful summer, the new signings (much hyped by some supporters) have looked substandard so far, and Larry Kingston is stirring the pot, too. Oh dear.

Things aren't much happier at Aberdeen, where the manager also seems content to moan about his squad in public. Best get your excuses in now, Mark McGhee, because those fans who were so excited about your arrival in the summer might just be having second thoughts.

And so to Hamilton and Falkirk. Both managers were sounding very optimistic during the summer, but that optimism has looked seriously misplaced so far. Falkirk have, at least, held on to Darren Barr and Scott Arfield, two vital players. They are going to need them, while Hamilton look well short of the required standard.

SPL 2009/10 - how's it's going to pan out

The new SPL season is about to kick off, so it's time to put our money where our mouth is and predict who's going to win it... and where everyone else will finish too. Firstly, a health warning: with the transfer window still open until the end of August, there's still time for players to come and go. If Rangers, for example, decide to spend a little of their Champions League windfall (unlikely, we know), then they could still improve their chances of retaining the title.


But this is We Love Fitba's season preview:

1. Celtic will be champions. We might have got it wrong in backing them last season, but we'll do it again this time around. A new management team, new players and the breaking of their European away day hoodoo have all brought optimism to Parkhead this summer. That victory over Dinamo Moscow reinforced the feeling that Tony Mowbray is the right man at the right time, able to inject some verve and flair into the side. With Nakamura and JVH gone and a few new faces, Celtic have refreshed a decent squad and will play with more pace this term.
   
   Key man: Aiden McGeady. Looked like he was on the verge of leaving the club in January, the girl-faced Irishman is an unquestioned talent. If Mowbray can get him back to his best, Celtic will be too strong for everyone else.
   


2. Rangers. Celtic might have thrown away a position of strength last season but Rangers deserve credit for winning the title. Walter Smith has helped to keep the wolf from the door, but there are still clear financial problems at Ibrox. So far this summer, players have gone but none has arrived. Fans can reassure themselves that their club has probably got the best years out of Barry Ferguson, and Birmingham have done them a favour (cheers, Alex McLeish), while Charlie Adam and Alan Gow weren't involved last season anyhow. But Celtic have got stronger while Rangers have stagnated. The squad is looking too thin to defend their crown.
   
   Key man: Kevin Thomson. Talented but fragile, the oft-injured midfielder has a vital role to play this season. With Ferguson gone, Rangers need someone to anchor the midfield and control games. It's telling, though, that Thomson has barely played for Scotland, despite his talent - he needs a solid, uninterrupted season to make his mark.
   


3. Hearts. On the basis that they finished 3rd last time, and no one else looks better placed to challenge them, the "Best of the Rest" title is theirs by default. They have steadily improved throughout pre-season and they seem to have brought in some decent replacements to cover departures. But Bruno Aiguar will be a big loss, and they still need a decent striker. And of course, the swirling rumours about financial problems and Vladimir Romanov's crazy unpredictability threaten to capsize the boat at any moment. Hearts better hope that Lithuanian bank holds out, because it's the only thing stopping them from following Livingston into crisis.
   
   Key man: Andy Driver. If Hearts continue to play with a fence post upfront, then the winger's attacking threat will be even more vital. An injury during the summer probably rules out his transfer this summer, a boost for the team if not the bank balance back in Vilnius. He could well go in January, though.



4. Hibernian. Another new manager for Hibs, and one that Falkirk fans weren't exactly sorry to see go. John Hughes certainly likes his teams to play well, but his results at Falkirk, plus the sales of Rob Jones and Steven Fletcher, suggest little more than top-6 anonymity this time around. However, there is a feeling, just like Mowbray at Celtic, that Hughes is the right man for the job, and that this appointment could work out very well indeed. After all, it was Hughes who got Falkirk to the SPL and kept them there, and got them to the Scottish Cup Final in May as well. He seems to know what's doing, and his roots with the club are doing him no harm at all. And, of course, the Hibs academy just keeps on churning out promising looking players, seven of whom have been promoted to the senior squad.
   
   Key man: Merouane Zemmama. Hibs will still rely on prodigal son Derek Riordan to score the goals, but it's the little Morrocan who Hughes will build his team around. If it works, Hibs could be looking to take 3rd from Hearts.



5. Dundee Utd. As Director of Football, Craig Levein has been busy restructuring the club's academy, admitting that it was not fulfilling its function. A smart move, but not one that's going to have an immediate impact on the first team. As manager, Levein once again traded to try and replace decent players who have gone. The Arabs will be tough competitors but it's hard to see them improve much on last season.
   
   Key man: Morgaro Gomis. That Levein signed the Senegalese midfielder from Cowbenbeath shows the global reach of the game these days. That Roy Keane has offered £800,000 for him shows yet again Levein's eye for a player. With money tight, though, can they hold on to him?
   
   
6. Motherwell. New man, fresh ideas, and a few new faces from the English lower leagues for fans to get used to as well. Jim Gannon is by all accounts a talented manager, and - crucially - used to operating at the "value" end of the transfer market. Motherwell have sold most of their assets and need a manager who can spot a bargain, but Gannon also likes his teams to pass the ball, which the Well fans will lap up. This just could be an inspired appointment.
   
   Key man: Stephen Craigan. With all the youthful enthusiasm ahead of him, the Well skipper could do with a nice, consistent, mistake-free season to show leadership to the young charges and keep the goals against tally respectable.
   
   
7. Aberdeen. The Dons were delighted to get Mark McGhee, who of course was part of the increasingly distant mid-80s glory years, after becoming so exasperated with the two Jimmys. But they've lost Scott Severin and Jamie Smith, the squad looks thin, and pre-season has not gone well. Without more investment, Aberdeen have to be realistic about their prospects. And could it be that Messrs Calderwood and Nicholl actually knew what they were doing? This season may be one to forget for the Dons, while inertia elsewhere leaves the club in seemingly perpetual limbo, wondering whether they are going to leave Pittodrie or not.
   
   Key man: Zander Diamond. Without a prolific striker, Aberdeen need to be tight at the back. Diamond's progress has been erratic but he's shown signs of maturing into a consistent centre-half.
   
   
8. Kilmarnock. Everyone knows that Killie don't have a pot to piss in, and the last couple of seasons have had fans biting fingernails at some point as relegation fears bubble up again at Rugby Park. But Jim Jefferies knows what he's doing and Killie also have the habit of stringing a set of results together when needed. Given the circumstances, they've done well to keep the squad more or less together and - you never know - Mark Burchill might announce his return to Scottish football with goals aplenty. Or not.
   
   Key man: Mehdi Taouil. The Morocco midfielder has tricks and talent, and is just plain good. He should be the difference between Kilmarnock and the teams below them.
   
   
9. St Johnstone. Gretna apart, the promoted club has tended to survive their first season in the SPL, and St Johnstone should do at least that. A well-run club with a solid support, the Saints have been waiting to get back to the top flight for a long time, and finally have their chance. Manager Derek McInnes is both realistic and ambitious, a nice combination to have. They've added a bit of depth to a squad that already looked pretty solid.
   
   Key man: Paul Sheerin. Craft and invention in Perth.
   
   
10. St Mirren. They've not been in the SPL long enough to feel completely secure, but the Buddies should be ok in their first full season in their new home. Gus MacPherson seems to have strengthened the squad, with Michael Higdon from Falkirk earmarked as the man to help score more goals than last season.
    
    Key man: Andy Dorman. Struggled last term, but if he returns to his best then he will make the Buddies tick.
    
    
11. Hamilton. Second Season Syndrome might hit hard at Hamilton, especially having seen James McCarthy and Brian Easton go for big money down South. But Billy Reid has been given some of that cash to rebuild the squad, and has made some big changes to freshen things up. More youthful exuberance/naivety this time around, but it should still be enough.
    
    Key man: Tomas Cerny. To balance out all that youthful inconsistently, an experienced pro between the sticks. A good keeper makes the difference, you know.
    
    
12. Falkirk. Apologies to the Bairns, but their time might be up. Escaped relegation on the last day of last season, and while Eddie May talks a good game (and has the odd pop at previous gaffer John Hughes while he's at it), he also lacks experience. The fans seem optimistic, though, so they won't be bothered by others backing them for the drop.
    
    Key man: Danijel Marceta. The striker has been signed on loan from FK Partizan's academy, which sounds like plenty enough pedigree for the SPL. If he's another Anthony Stokes, then Falkirk may well be laughing in the face of relegation threats.

Rangers favourites for the Cup but problems mount

On the face of it, it was a great weekend for Rangers. They beat Hamilton 5-2, and are now clear favourites to go back to Hampden in May and hold on to their trophy. It could be seen as another step in the development of Ally McCoist, who takes charge of the Cup competitions these days. Meanwhile, Celtic inexplicably got knocked out 1-0 by St Mirren, who they thrashed 7-0 in the SPL a week ago.

This is certainly Ewan Murray's take on things, who reckons that the pressure is now all on Gordon Strachan from now until the next Old Firm encounter, the League Cup Final next Sunday. Absolute shit. Rangers are sinking deeper into the mire, as their problems just keep on getting bigger.

Another Scottish Cup will do little to appease the masses if a 4th straight League title goes across the City. The "peepl" are restless and angry at Rangers continued inability to win the SPL - but that doesn't look like changing anytime soon. Celtic have a 3 point advantage, and after Rangers' failure to take the last derby, confidence that they can repeat last season's late charge to the flag.

Meanwhile, with that £25m overdraft with the bank, Rangers this week asked their staff to consider voluntary redundancy. Busines as usual, according to the club, but everyone else recognises this as yet another sign of money problems at the club.

The only thing likely to keep the fans from baying for blood is winning the SPL. Arguably, Rangers would have been better served by being dumped out of the Cup to conserve resources for the only prize that matters.

Caley shock Gers

A rare midweek night of fixtures in the SPL, and it didn't disappoint. After withstanding the expected Rangers barrage for 90 minutes, David Weir of all people conceded a penalty, got himself sent off, and Ian Black put the chance away to give Inverness Caledonian Thistle a highly unlikely win at Ibrox.

As well as handing advantage back to Celtic at the top it's also made things much more interesting at the bottom of the table. ICT are now above Falkirk, who are in terrible form at the moment. Terry Butcher looks to be desperate to upset we love fitba's prediction that the Highlanders would be relegated this season.

Falkirk say they won't countenance getting rid of John Hughes - but must feel less loyalty to their man after he expressed ambitions of managing in England. Hamstrung by a cautious club who - rightly in the current climate - will not agree new deals for any players until they know what division they'll be in - Hughes' managerial stock is dropping by the week.

Celtic fluff their chance

While Rangers are paying for a date with AC Milan to try and get some cash into the club, Celtic have a night off to think about whether they've done enough in the transfer window.

They might be leading the SPL, but only by two points, and their manager described them as one dimensional in their 0-0 draw with Inverness last weekend. Maybe, you'd think, Strachan might use the transfer market to freshen up his team. He has brought in Willo Flood from the Arabs, but is it enough?

Meanwhile, Rangers have lost a few squad players like Chris Burke and Darcheville, but failure to sell any of the big names means the squad is pretty much the same. It seemed improbable that they could win the SPL a couple of months ago, but since then Celtic have been dropping points all over the place.

Apparently, they wanted Steven Fletcher from Hibs, but didn't come up with enough money. Celtic certainly have the cash, so you can only assume they didn't want him enough. Hibs might have said he wasn't for sale, but an offer of, say, £5m would have got their attention.

Is he worth that much? Fletcher's had a poor season, but then Hibs are having a poor season. If Scott Brown is worth £4.5m, and more and more Celtic supporters would agree that he is, Fletcher is worth at least that much.

Deal making goes to the wire

The game of call my bluff is nearly at an end. As usual, most of the exciting business in the transfer window is waiting until the final minutes before the deadline. Seeing as the deadline keeps moving back - the January transfer window doesn't shut until 5pm February 2, it seems - we're being made to wait longer and longer.

And so to the motivated sellers, as estate agents call them. It might not be a great market, but some clubs need some cash regardless.

Chris Porter may well go South to, as Mark McGhee said on Friday, "ensure there is a Motherwell football club next season". Rather sharpens the mind, doesn't it? Fee expected to be about 400 grand.

Rangers still need to sell, but nobody's buying. (Bolton have made an approach for Pedro Mendes, but Walter Smith really doesn't want to sell him and anyhow there's some debate about whether he's allowed to return to England this season, having played in the Community Shield). Kevin Nolan's move to Newcastle surely ends the unlikely prospect of Barry Ferguson going there. And Kris Boyd still doesn't fancy a move.

Problems with the wage bill and an alleged long list of grumpy creditors suggest Hearts will be very pleased with the sale of Christophe Berra to Wolves. This might be worth £2.5m, but as always things at Hearts are murky. Will this be the last sale?

And so to Hibs. Celtc are making eyes at Stephen Fletcher, and think he's worth about £3m. There's no doubt the Champions could do with a spark up front, but Hibs don't seem to want to sell. With the player on a long contract and their fabled tip-top finances, they don't have to, but Hibs have flogged a barrel load of talent in recent seasons and Fletcher will get extremely aggrieved if he's denied a move. This one seems more likely in the summer, however.

Rangers fans want better, but Murray ain't listening

If you're a club running 2nd in the race for a title you've craved for years, what's worse than selling your leading striker? How about trying to sell your striker and failing - leaving you with one potentially grumpy player, the same pressing debts that obliged you to accept a bid in the first place, and exposing a massive rift between the club and its fans?

David Murray doesn't have his problems to seek at the moment, but he's coming out fighting. After the launch of a Rangers Supporters Trust campaign called "We deserve better", Murray dismissed them as "not exactly captains of industry".

Yup, the faithful ain't happy, but their chairman isn't listening. Unless Murray manages to sell the club (which looks less and less likely by the day), Rangers are stuck with him, and he'll run the club as he sees fit, thanks very much. After all, he's a successful businessman, while they... are not.

Fine, but there's a couple of flaws in this argument. Firstly, it's not hard to pick holes in the way Rangers have been managed by Murray, not least the disastruous spending spree under Dick Advocaat that saddled the club with debt it just can't shake off.

Then there's his other businesses. Murray International Holdings is held up in the Scottish press as one of the country's most successful private companies, but increasingly, questions are being asked about just how successful it is. It's main areas of operation apart from Rangers are commodities and property development - neither of which look sound investments right now. Because it's private, of course, it's impossible to get a really accurate idea of the company's state of health. One thing for sure is that things will only get tougher in the year ahead.

It's fair to say that not all Rangers fans are behind the "We deserve better" campaign, perhaps in part because they realise there is no new investor waiting to pour money into the club. But at a time when a sizeable proportion of the support are demanding more, Murray is trying to lessen Rangers' dependence on him.

If Kris Boyd keeps digging his heels in over a move, someone else will have to go. It could get fraught.