Lofty.

Tell you what, I'll stop "pretending" or otherwise that it wasn't a penalty when the world's media give as much attention to the penalty we should have had - when a Liverpool defender whose name I forget threw his body towards the ball, leading with his elbow. The player's elbow diverted the shot, which then smashed harmlessly into the ground. On my NBCNS stream the call was: "never a penalty, never in a million years". On a similar note, I'm still waiting for a media examination of the second yellow that Stirling didn't get, which was every bit as cynical as his first yellow.

I missed most of the first half, but from what Cliver Walker was saying, I didn't miss much. Taking his word, the second half was a vast improvement, very watchable, and packed with incident. Twenty seconds into the second half, the referee awarded a penalty for a ball to hand incident that was outside the box. Within five minutes, he'd disallowed a perfectly good looking Chelsea goal, added to the fact that Pereira, a petulant little prick, should have been sent off twice over, and all prejudice aside you have to say that the Chelsea youngsers had every reason to feel aggrieved. The equaliser, when it came, was scored by Anders Christenson who headed in from a Lewis Baker corner. Christensen had a very good game, I thought. Composed in defence, invariably making the right decision, adding support to the midfield, and a useful presence (as proved by his goal) at corners. From what I saw, Man U offered very little, and were extremely fortunate to come away with a point.

A typical example of the anticipation with which Balotelli's signing was greeted on Merseyside: Got to say I'm loving that new dimension.

Match report from the official site: Rangers 4-0 Falkirk LEWIS Macleod played a starring role as Rangers put four past Falkirk at Ibrox – three second half goals dismissed the visitors as Gers took their unbeaten run to eight. The young midfielder finished off a superb week, following his Scotland call up, with a goal and an utterly creative display on the pitch. Nicky Law, Kenny Miller and substitute Nicky Clark all added to the Light Blues tally as Ally McCoist’s side brushed past the Bairns. Rangers showed their intent for the afternoon when, with a couple of minutes played Lewis Macleod whipped a low ball into the box from the left. He was endeavouring to find the waiting Kris Boyd, but the ball just evaded the striker on the penalty spot and was cleared for a goal kick. All McCoist’s side started the brighter and with six minutes gone David Templeton, back in the starting line-up tried a shot from the edge of area. The winger digging the ball out of the wet ground to curl the ball towards Jamie MacDonald, but the left footed strike was held well by the keeper when it arrived at him. A minute later Kenny Miller broke into the six yard box to collect a nice flick on from Lee Wallace, only to have his low shot saved by the Jamie MacDonald. Falkirk had their first chances of the game with ten minutes gone, Luke Leahy breaking free down the left and cutting inside. His run eluded the Rangers defence and his cut back found David Smith, whose strike was then blocked by Darren McGregor, outstretched on the grass. McGregor was called into action again as the away side had another chance - Rory Loy darted into the penalty box and attempted a dangerous looking shot from the right. The Light Blues centre back was there to throw himself to the ground for a second time to thwart the former Rangers man. Rangers reacted well to Falkirk’s pressure and their first real chance of the game came just a minute before they scored. Macleod threaded a pin point ball through Falkirk’s defence into the feet of Miller and the striker cut inside with the ball at his feet, before unleashing a shot straight at MacDonald. There were 24 minutes gone when Nicky Law opened the Gers scoring, McGregor sending a ball skimming along the by-line from the right into the Falkirk box. The ball was deflected back into the path of the onrushing Nicky Law and the midfielder was there to poke the ball home from close range and make it 1-0. Macleod was looking, as ever, impressive and on the half hour mark he played a ball over to the right for Templeton to run onto. The winger cut inside to bomb forward but saw his shot go just wide of the upright. The away side had the first chance of second period, a header saved by Simonsen’s right palm after Smith had launched a free kick from wide out on the right. On 55 minutes a Gers ball reached the six yard box only to be met by both Miller and Templeton coming from different directions. The latter took the lead and took the shot on which bounced weakly towards the Falkirk goal following the mix up. Rangers continued to push forward; Macleod tried to take a shot on from 25 yards out but scuffed his effort, the ball bounced free to Boyd who ran into similar difficulties. Templeton was storming onto the edge of the box and took the stray ball on, launching a volley straight at the Falkirk keeper. With his first action of the game Jon Daly in a flowing break away move , weighted a ball perfectly into the box for Macleod. The 20-year old was bombing into the area and Daly waited for perfect moment to unleash his cross, his ball landed onto the head of Macleod who planted his header beyond the helpless MacDonald. After scoring the second Macleod was the architect for the third five minutes later, the youngster played a deft ball along the ground from the top right corner of the area. His pass curved behind the Falkirk defence to find Miller sliding in at the back post. The Scotsman didn’t take a touch and launched the ball into the bottom right corner. Miller’s goal was well deserved given his performance up front, and he was given a terrific ovation from the Ibrox faithful when he was withdrawn for Nicky Clark moments later. Clark acted immediately to make it four with nine minutes left to play as Daly continued to make an impact off the bench. The two substitutes combined as the Irishman cut a ball back to Clark running in on goal. The forward man made no mistake as he hammered his strike into the back of the net. RANGERS: Simonsen, Foster, McCulloch, Wallace, McGregor, Templeton (Smith 71â€), Black, Law, Macleod, Boyd (Daly 68â€), Miller (Clark 77â€). SUBS: Robinson, Faure, Mohsni, Shiels GOALS: Law 24â€, Macleod 69â€, Miller 74â€, Clark 81†YELLOWS: Foster 89†FALKIRK: MacDonald, Shaughnessy, McCracken, Vaulks, Taiwo, Alston (Bia-Bi 70â€), Smith, Sibbald (Cooper 58â€), Grant, Leahy, Loy SUBS: Bowman, Grant, Maybury, Shepherd, McGeever YELLOWS: Vaulks 29â€

Remembrance Tributes

I can't say I'm entirely happy with the tendency to sit back and defend the lead. We've already paid for it a couple of times, and if history had repeated itself today, we'd have no-one else to blame. Having said that, we were well worth the win, and it would have been a travesty if Liverpool had come away with anything from the game. On the referee. We're going to hear a lot about this supposed penalty that should have been given. Ball to hand, Some refs give them some fo the time, other's don't. What you won't hear a dickie bird about is a shot that struck a Liverpool defender's elbow. Ok, he had his hands to his sides, but he moved his entire body towards the ball, leading with his elbow. A far clearer penalty award than the Cahill incident. Another one you won't hear about is Sterling pulling Hazard's shirt to bring him down half way through the second half. A cynical foul, and a nailed on yellow by the standards set by Anthony Taylor. Sterling having already been booked, was therefore, very very fortunate not to have been shown a red. Just a little ammunition to throw at any Scouser, plastic or otherwise, who tries to tell you we were lucky.

Rangers Football Club will mark Remembrance Day at Ibrox tomorrow with a minute silence in honour of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. This year is the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War in which 1,117,077 men and women from the Commonwealth died. Rangers are proud to remember all those who fought for our freedom on this very special centenary. Representatives from each of the services and Rangers FC will attend a wreath laying ceremony on Saturday morning at the John Greig statue, to mark the anniversary of the Armistice. And representatives from each of the services have been invited to Ibrox for the SPFL Championship game against Falkirk. We look forward to welcoming a number of veterans and serving personnel to the stands and to the Directors Box. Two veterans from Erskine will lead the teams out prior to kick-off and two sailors, soldiers and airmen will carry a poppy to the centre spot for the minute silence. Soldiers from 207 (City of Glasgow) Battery, part of 105 Regiment Royal Artillery, will fire an L118 artillery gun to mark the start and end of the minute silence. The team will wear a special commemorative poppy shirt against Falkirk in honour of our fallen heroes. The majority of these will be donated to services related charities to raise further funds for serving personnel and veterans. The Rangers Charity Foundation will be hosting a can collection around the stadium in aid of veterans’ charity Poppyscotland - which supports ex-Servicemen and women and their families. Poppyscotland provides life-changing assistance to Scotland’s ex-Servicemen and women, funding specialist advice and employment support, home adaptations, mobility aids and providing tailored funding packages. The charity is aiming to raise even more money this year to continue to deliver support to those who need it most. THIS Saturday, when Rangers take on Falkirk in another important league clash, the Club and the fans will once again remember and pay tribute to those who lost their lives and have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. As stated above, this year also marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the World War 1 in which so many lost their lives. To commemorate this anniversary and remembrance there will be a card display in the Sandy Jardine Stand. Other commemorative activities on the day will include: - Wreath laying ceremony at the Ibrox Disaster Memorial Plinth. 1.30pm; - Pre-match can collection in support of Poppyscotland; - 2 Representatives from each the armed forces will carry the poppy to the centre circle pre-match - Two Erskine veterans will lead the first teams out onto the pitch - One minutes silence to remember all those who have lost their lives in the service of their country - 207 (City of Glasgow) Battery, part of 105 Regiment Royal Artillery, will fire an L118 artillery gun to mark the start and the end of the minute silence - The first team will once again wear a unique poppy strip to pay our respects to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Uncle Ken strikes again:

The question, isn't of choosing what to read, but of interpretation. You have interpreted the questions I have outlined as an attack on foreign-based fans. You have in fact gone out of your way to invent and an argument based on nothing that has been actually been written. And if you haven't seen anything worth responding to. If you're telling me to try harder? f**k It, I tried. I made an effort to keep this on track, but with you I'm fighting a losing battle. You're not only intent on pushing your pathetic little "just because I don't live in London" agenda, but you're attacking anyone who won't join in with this pitiful little argument that YOU have created. You're a f**king idiot, and insufferably arrogant wiith it.

How is that relevant? Do me a favour, try to actually read what's been written here. Then maybe, just maybe, you mght be able to post something that's actually relevant to the questons that are being addressed. Which are quite simply that a straightforward post about traditional fans being priced out of the game, which has become increasingly geared towards corporate customers and tourists - not foreign/non-English fans, but tourists, the kind of visitors from the Far East or wherever who have no problem getting blocks of seats, who are there purely and simply because Stamford Bridge along with mang other Premiership grounds has become something of a tourist attraction - has been wildly misinterpreted and is in danger of degenerating into a local vs overseas fans argument., So drop all this "Limey" bollocks", go back and read charriere's post. DoubleHelix's post, and mine and subsequent replies. Ok?

If you find the current turn of conversation boring, that's a matter or taste. But unnecessary? Little statements like "Perhaps if you'd made more of yourself... " are inflammatory and need to be addressed. You're easily amused, that much is apparent. Funny that the only people who have actually hinted at the question of what makes a better fan are foreigners. Did I say that? Did charriere or anyone else? No I didn't. I did however, take offence at DoubleHelix's post, and I have every right and reason to. I've already mentioned the "If you'd made more of yourself..." statement, but the entire post is full of similarly if slightley lesser inflamattory remarks. On to your remark about "Some limey here". I don't find it to be as inflamatory as DoubleHelix's, but it does portray you as a bit of a twat, but every bit as clueless, about what it means to support a football club, and about what's actually been written in this thread.

I think this is what's known as reading between the lines... but also managing to somehow see a massive amount of sh*te that was never so much as vaguely alluded to. I don't live anywhere near London. And if I did, I doubt very much whether or not I'd be able to go to matches on a regular basis, certainly not to anywhere near the extent that I used to, that I used to take for granted before people like me were priced out. And yes we were the life blood of the club. We were the ones who created the club's reputation, we were the ones who made the atmosphere, established traditions. How many of these tourists and corporate fans - or even the foreign non-matching going fans - will be able to say the same in twenty or thirty years time? I'm not talking as a Chelsea fan here, but as a football supporter, one who's seen changes that were unimaginable a couple or three decades ago. Don't worry, I'm not going to wax lyrical about how wonderful it was in the good old bad old days. All I'm going to say is that with the type of fans that were the life blood of the game being priced out at Premier League clubs up and down the country, the lack of atmosphere (as mentioned elsewhere) is extremely unlikely to see any improvement. "Perhaps you should have made more of yourself to have the ability to buy tickets." Sorry sunshine but this really annoyed me. Who the f**k do you think you are? Seriously. Who the f**k are you? Football is traditionally a working class game that has had the heart and soul ripped out of it, not by owners like Roman Abramovich who do appear to genuinely love the game, and this particular club, but by the money men, the sanitisers who see the Premier League as a Global Brand to be promoted to as many markets as is feasibly possible. This is precisely the attitude that prioritises the more lucrative overseas and corporate markets. This is the attitude that is responsible for the new breed of seat-fillers who want to be entertained above all else, who regard a trip to the Bridge in the same way that they would regard a trip to the theatre or the opera or the f**king ballet. This is why it's so much easier for a bunch of tourists from the far east or where the f**k ever to buy a block of seats together than it is for supporters who scrimp and save and sacrifice in order to continue to fork out for their vastly overpriced season tickets, with little or no choice of where they sit or who they sit with. YOU FOREIGNERS may think that you are the future life blood of the game. You can dream of your first visit to Stamford Bridge,. you can tell describe yourself as a loyal supporter, tell yourself how much you love the club, that you are in no way a glory hunter, but the truth is that you have no real connection to the club. No more than I would if I were to announce myself as a supporter of,New York Mets and dedicated my every waking hour to discovering everything there was to know about them. I could dream of a trip to New York, but a Mets fan? Or a Yankees fan, same difference. I'd be kidding myself. Who am I? I'm just someone who used to go to football, that's all. Home and away, week in, week out. I'm a former matchgoer. I don't dream of the day I'll next be able to able to go to Stamford Bridge, Financial and health reasons make such a trip unlikely. The difference between me and you is that I DO have a connection with the club, been there, seen it done it. And I was well f**king skint half the time, but I made an effort. I was younger and healthier then. But maybe if I'd made more of myself, I'd be able to afford luxury travel every other week, ill health notwithstanding. Clown. You haven't got a clue.

You're right. He's sh*te. Sell him in January. Always assuming we can find anyone daft enough and desperate enough to take him off our hands. Of course.

Wendy again, this time from the "I Came Here To Blow Minds" album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re_CSxkrnek And a live version of a charming little ditty from the same album:

From the album "Now AIn't The Time For Your Tears", all songs written by Elvis Costello:

No I didn't see that one coming either. I've got no idea about Ibraimi's goalscoring record, but I wouldn't mind betting that tonight he scored the best goal of his life. Hazard had to miss a penalty sometime, we were denied an even clearer penalty earlier when Oscar was brought down, and we had a goal wrongly chalked off for offside. In other words, it was just one of those nights, their goalkeeping helping the Maribor cause no end. Still it could have been worse, we could have been Man City losing at home to CSKA, or Arsenal blowing a 3-0 lead at home.

Cowdenbeath 0 - 3 Rangers RANGERS took their unbeaten run in the League and cup competitions to seven games as they dispatched of Cowdenbeath at Central Park. Goals from Nicky Law, an own goal from Kyle Miller and a late strike from substitute David Templeton meant Gers took all three points on the night. Cowdenbeath had not beaten Rangers since 1927 and that was not to change - the Light Blues ground out the result after overcoming the home side’s constant determination to deny the Glasgow side. Rangers made a storming opening at Central Park, only three minutes had gone when Nicky Law had the ball in the back of the net. Kris Boyd threaded a neat ball through the middle and into the feet of the midfielder, who dispatched a shot with his right foot under the outstretched Robbie Thomson and into the bottom right corner. Cowdenbeath made a direct response to falling behind and Kudas Oyenuga, on loan from Dundee United, looked forever dangerous as the home team sought to cancel out Gers opener. The 21-year old had a cry for a penalty turned down on ten minutes by referee Crawford Allen - the official adjudging the foul by McGregor to be outside the box. Oyenuga took the free kick himself but fired the ball over from 25 yards out. Three minutes later Rangers were back pushing for a second and Steve Smith curled a free kick round the Cowdenbeath wall but Thomson’s hands were there to meet the effort at his left post. The Blue Brazil continued to threaten and a series of headers pinged about the Rangers box after a corner was swung in from the left, the ball eventually finding the hands of Steve Simonsen safely. Former Spurs youth Oyenuga showed his speed again in the 19th minute - he cut a ball back from the by-line across the face of goal to trouble the Lights Blues backline. However the ball bounced away off a Cowdenbeath man to calm the Rangers nerves. All McCoist’s side replied to Cowden’s pressure through some simple route one football -Simonsen’s 21st minute free kick evaded everyone to reach Kenny Miller who took the ball down with one touch. The 35- year old bounded beyond the Cowden defence into the six yard box, but just as he was about to hit the trigger a last ditch tackle from Marcus Fraser saw the ball taken from the striker’s feet and cleared for a corner. The end to end theme of the game continued with half an hour on the clock, a Cowdenbeath ball down the centre played in Sean Higgins. The Number 10 found himself through one on one with Simonsen but his final shot was weak and the stopper palmed it away on to the post, allowing the Gers defence to clear their lines. Gers began the second half with the same spirit they had started the first, with just a couple of minutes played Darren McGregor got his head on the end of a whipped ball into the Cowdenbeath box. The defender’s effort though was directly at Thomson who managed to make a save from close range. Rangers pressure told and the hosts undid their positive first half work when, with 52 minutes on the clock, an own goal gave the Light Blues a two goal lead. Kyle Miller headed a Gers cross from the right against his own crossbar, only to see the ball bounce back down on the wrong side of the white line and into the back of Cowden’s net. Chances were far and few between as the game reached its final stages, both teams failed to threaten after Rangers had pulled two goals clear. McCoist brought on Jon Daly and David Templeton to give the forward line fresh legs but Gers struggled to create too many openings as Cowdenbeath frustrated them in a similar way to the first 45 minutes. With nine minutes left to play McGregor burst into action. The defender rose in the air to meet a cross from the right, only to be denied once again, this time by a clearance on the line. But Rangers were to make it three after all as Templeton secured the win in the 85th minute. The winger latched onto Ian Black’s through ball and raced clear to slot the ball away in calm fashion. RANGERS: Simonsen, Foster, McCulloch, McGregor, Wallace, Smith (Templeton 70â€), Law, Black, Macleod, Boyd (Daly 70â€), Miller. SUBS: Robinson, Moshni, Daly, Templeton, Clark, Faure, Shiels GOALS: Law 3â€, Miller o.g 52â€, Templeton 85†YELLOW CARDS: Macleod COWDENBEATH: Thomson, Wedderburn, Robertson, Milne, Higgins, Brett (Sutherland 67â€), Miller, Oyenuga, Marshall (Johnston 82â€), Fraser, Hughes (Kane 36â€). SUBS: Sneddon, Campbell, O’Brien, Brownlie Attendance: 3919

Simonsen Back For Cowden Clash STEVE SIMONSEN comes back into the Rangers side to take on Cowdenbeath this evening. The keeper was kept out of the Scottish Cup clash with Dumbarton having suffered concussion against St Johnstone in the Quarter-Final of the League Cup last week. Ally McCoist chose not to risk the 35-year old at the Bet Butler Stadium on Saturday and picked Lee Robinson instead. But having fully recovered from his knock to the head the stopper will be back between the sticks as the Light Blues try and stretch their unbeaten run to seven – Robinson drops to the bench. Stevie Smith retains his place in midfield, with Fraser Aird finding out yesterday that he now faces four weeks on the sidelines with a thigh injury. And fresh from his call up to the Scotland squad Lewis Macleod will start on the right of midfield. They will be joined in the centre by Ian Black and Nicky Law. Kris Boyd netted the winner on Saturday to progress Gers through to the next round of the Scottish Cup and will partner Kenny Miller up front this evening. The pair have scored five goals between them in Rangers last five league and cup fixtures. The back line is unaffected for the trip to Central Park, with Lee Wallace, Darren McGregor, Lee McCulloch and Richard Foster making up the defence. Rangers: Simonsen, Foster, McCulloch, McGregor, Wallace, Smith, Law, Black, Macleod, Boyd, Miller.

I've just posted the following in the Liverpool Atmosphere thread, if I'd have noticed this one first, I'd have posted it here instead:

Shows how much things have changed, when I was a regular matchgoer, singing was just a part of the atmosphere. Now it seems it's everything. So much so that a ground where singing cannot be heard on TV is said to be devoid of atmosphere. I'm not saying this wrong because you're not going to get a lot of atmosphere from the swathes of tourists (not "tourists" but tourists) and corporate customers. I'm just making a point here of how different things are nowadays. Go back even futher to all those pathe newsreels - singing at football is a relatively new phenomenon that started (I think) in the late sixties. In previous decades you'd have massive crowds, who would roar and cheer. The roar of the crowd goes a long way to making an atmosphere that can be felt and heard within the ground more than it can on TV. Don't leave it to the old boys either. Most of the singing section of the Shed consisted of youngsters, as it did with most ends. As you got older, you'd tend to move out, the whitewall, teabar, North Stand, Gate 13 etc. The real problem, I feel, lies with the sanitisation of the modern game, such that people can be thrown out, even arrested and/or slapped with a life ban for "offensive" language. Then you hear of tourists telling supporters to sit down or even to be quiet. Best of luck to those who are trying to get a singing section going in the Shed. You'll need it.

From the official site: RANGERS have been drawn at home to Kilmarnock in the Fourth Round of the Scottish Cup. The match is scheduled to be played on the weekend of November 29/30. The draw was made at Hampden this afternoon by Darren O’Dea with the Scottish FA President, Campbell Ogilvie, and David Coakley of competition sponsors William Hill. The Gers progressed to the Fourth Round after defeating Dumbarton for the second week in a row at the Bet Butler Stadium, with Kris Boyd’s goal just on half time the difference between the sides. The two sides meet for the first time in the Scottish Cup since a 2011 clash that saw the Light Blues run out 3-0 winners at Ibrox, also at the fourth round stage. FULL DRAW St Johnstone v Ross County St Mirren vInverness CT Hurlford Utd/Stirling Albion v Raith Rovers RANGERS v Kilmarnock Hearts v Celtic QOTS v Brora Rangers Stranraer vDunfermline Elgin City/Bo'ness v Arbroath Falkirk v Cowdenbeath Spartans v Morton/Airdrie Berwick Rangers v Albion Rovers Dundee v Aberdeen Annan Athletic v Brechin City Ayr Utd/Alloa v Hibernian Motherwell v Dundee Utd Partick Thistle v Hamilton

Yep. It's the man himsef. Danny H. And if you haven't spotted Babs in the Chelsea v Millwall pic, have a closer look towards the bottom right where you'll see him looking more or less towards the camera.

I'm not sure if the question of scarves is worth its own topic, but there's a definite history to be told. Like most people, I very rarely wore a scarf in those days, the exception being when I was hitchhiking, then I'd sometimes wear a woollen scarf for warmth or to help my chances of getting a lift. Of course there was always the chance you'd end up gettng a kicking, but that was the chance you took. And then there was the odd occasion I'd wear a scarf for a windup. Red white and green being favourite because oppo fans weren't always sure who I was. Go back a few years, and a lot of us wore scarves, silk scarves either around your neck, with a crombie for instance, or tied to your wrist. In those days it was far easier to spot who was who, which is of course the reason why scarves went out of fashion. Not that it was as staightforward as that. There was a time when you'd wear a scarf to the game, then shove it in your pocket for strategic reasons when required. Harry jackets were great for hiding scarves because of the flap pockets,. Before scarves you had rattles and rosettes, before my time strictly speaking, but I did wear an England rosette, and I had a rattle, bought for me by my old man when I was about 10 or 12, when we used to go to the schoolboys internationals at Wembley. Speaking of scarves, this is from the Chelsea v Watford FA Cup semi-final:

Chelsea v Millwall 12/02/1977