Next Season

[carrickblue]

With Hearts and quite possibly Hibs joining Rangers in the Championship next season it's going to be a lot tougher than this year.

 

I don't think 5 years ago anyone could have possibly imagined those 3 clubs in the second tier of Scottish football, it is a crazy world.

 

How do folk think Rangers will fare next year?

[Zeta]

There's no point having clubs compete in the Scottish PL any more. Just give Celtic the title at the start of the year and be done with it. Must be such a hollow victory knowing there is literally no competition at all to stop them winning it.

[Lofty.]

With Hearts and quite possibly Hibs joining Rangers in the Championship next season it's going to be a lot tougher than this year.

 

I don't think 5 years ago anyone could have possibly imagined those 3 clubs in the second tier of Scottish football, it is a crazy world.

 

How do folk think Rangers will fare next year?

I get the feeling it'll be more of a step up than it was from League 2 to League 1, and so you'd expect Rangers to strengthen accordingly over the close season.

 

I'm a little surprised to hear that Andy Little has been released. I know he's had problems with injuries but even so I thought he'd have more of a future at the club.

[carrickblue]

I get the feeling it'll be more of a step up than it was from League 2 to League 1, and so you'd expect Rangers to strengthen accordingly over the close season.

 

I'm a little surprised to hear that Andy Little has been released. I know he's had problems with injuries but even so I thought he'd have more of a future at the club.

 

Agreed TD; sorry to see Andy go, I thought he had plenty to offer.  Not sure what to make of the speculation about Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd - that looks like a step backwards and I'm not a fan of Daly.

 

Rangers and Chelsea both have their striker problems - I wonder would Fernando fancy a go in the Scottish Championship, might give him the spark he needs!  

[Lofty.]

I don't know about you, but I find it a little strange that the official Rangers site have actually published a couple of interviews with Andy Little after he's been released:

 

Andy Little: Hard to Accept Exit

 

Andy Little: I'd Love Future Return

[carrickblue]

Certainty shows there is no ill feeling on Andy's part. Hard to know what's going on in the background

[Lofty.]

No news of any signings that I know of, but it was recently announced that Chris Hegarty was to be allowed to leave the club:

 

Chris Hegarty Moves On

 

RANGERS can confirm that Chris Hegarty will leave the club after his contract was cancelled by mutual agreement.

The 21-year-old defender made just two appearances for the Light Blues in 2013/14 as he battled with injury and he has decided now is the time to move on as he seeks regular first-team football.

Hegarty joined Rangers in 2010 after a spell down south with Millwall and in May 2012 he made his senior debut for Ally McCoist’s side in a friendly against Linfield at Windsor Park.

That was a proud moment for the former Northern Ireland under-21 captain who then put pen to paper on a new one year deal that summer.

Chris went on to make 28 starts and one substitute appearance as Rangers completed stage one of The Journey in the Scottish Third Division in 2012/13 and last season he scored after just two minutes in his club’s first League One fixture against Brechin City at Ibrox.

Injury problems, however, halted his progress but he has plenty of great memories from his four years at Rangers, he said: "I fulfilled an ambition by playing for a team I grew up supporting and I'll always be grateful for the opportunity.

“I had a bad time with injury last season and at this important stage of my career I need to play first team football week in week out and the manager was good enough to let me go and pursue that.
 
"I'd like to thank physio Steve Walker and Doc Jackson for all their work getting me back to full strength, the gaffer and his team, and of course the loyal Rangers supporters who as players we are honoured to represent.

“I wish the team all the best in the Championship next season and I look forward to returning to Ibrox as a fan."

Everyone at Rangers Football Club would like wish Chris well for the future.
 

[Guest RFC_CFC]

Talk of Boyd being announced soon and maybe Miller two.

Scott Allan from West brom is also being talked about although I'd like to see the centre back area addressed first.

[carrickblue]

Boyd and Miller - so it's back to the future?  Hope their wages are affordable....

[mactheknife]

Having followed the SPL properly in many a year except the odd Old Firm game, but I'll be following the Scottish Championship next year. Will be such an intriguing title race.

Are any other teams in the league decent, like Falkirk?

[Guest RFC_CFC]

Boyd and Miller - so it's back to the future? Hope their wages are affordable....

I'd take Boyd but Miller is a strange one.

[Lofty.]

Gordon Durie "stunned" by Scotland's Second Tier

 

IF anyone should look at next season’s Championship table with bemusement it is Gordon Durie as three of his former clubs – Hibs, Rangers and Hearts - compete in Scottish football’s second tier.

Durie moved to the Hibees from East Fife in 1984 and spent two years at Easter Road before heading south of the border to play for Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

Walter Smith then brought the powerful Scotland striker to Ibrox in 1993 and after seven trophy-laden years with the Light Blues he returned to the capital to end his remarkable playing career with Hearts.

Now Rangers’ under-20 coach, Jukebox admits it will be bizarre seeing his three former clubs battling it out for promotion to the Premiership in 2014/15 but he insists it will be an exciting year for supporters.

He said: “It’s going to be a fantastic league. Personally I thought Hibs would avoid relegation but it now makes for a very tricky Championship next season with ourselves, Hearts and Hibs in there and the other teams in the division will be fired up for it as well, we can't forget about them.

“It’s a league everyone at Rangers should look forward to but it’s not going to be an easy one to get out of.

“Going back three years you would have never expected the two big Edinburgh clubs and Rangers to be playing in the Championship, it’s incredible really.

“It’s happened though and we are all there. We should just look forward to the games getting started now in August as it will be a very interesting Championship.â€

Durie, who returned from Hong Kong yesterday having taken a young Rangers side to the annual Citibank Soccer Sevens tournament, expects both Hibs and Hearts to bounce back having recently suffered the pain of relegation from the top flight.

He added: “Hibs have let several players go so I’m sure Terry will now be looking to bring in boys who can help them get out of the Championship at the first attempt.

“Hearts have a young side and they did fantastically well at the tail end of last season. So they will be starting the next campaign with confidence and that’s the challenge we face here at Rangers.

“It will be a great challenge though and it will be brilliant for our fans, they have been unbelievable following the team across the country to smaller grounds in the Third Division and League One.

“I’m sure most of them would not have been expecting to go to Easter Road next season and I didn't either but it will be a fantastic atmosphere there and at Tynecastle as well.

“It’s the next step in The Journey and hopefully it can be another successful year for the club.â€

[Lofty.]

It's official, Kenny's back. He's been given a one-year contract with the option of an extension.

 

Kenny Miller: It Feels Great to be Home

 

 

RANGERS Football Club has today confirmed the signing of Kenny Miller on a one-year deal, with the option for a further year.

The 34-year-old striker is now in his third spell with the Light Blues having joined initially from Hibs for the 2000-01 campaign and returning for a hugely successful period between 2008 and 2011.

Miller won three top-flight league titles, the Scottish Cup and the League Cup during Walter Smith’s reign before leaving for Bursaspor in January 2011.

Following spells at Cardiff and Vancouver Whitecaps in MLS he has returned to Rangers, where he scored 67 goals in 147 appearances.

Miller commented: “I am thrilled to return to Rangers for a third time. I have enjoyed so much success at this great football club and I am determined to repeat it again next season and beyond.

“Rangers is a special football club and we are on the rise again and I want to play my part as we look to get back to the top of Scottish football. I had a number of offers once I left Vancouver but I had my heart set on returning to Ibrox and I can’t wait to get started again.â€

Rangers Manager Ally McCoist: “We are delighted to welcome Kenny back to Ibrox. He was a terrific player for us in the past, especially his second spell at Rangers, and we have won many trophies together.

“Kenny brings experience and pace to our forward line and will be a great influence on our younger players at Murray Park. He is a top class footballer and we look forward to seeing him in a Rangers jersey once again as we look to secure promotion to the top flight next season.â€

 

 

KENNY MILLER admits that since leaving Rangers in January 2011 he hoped he could return to the club and he is thrilled Ally McCoist has given him that opportunity.

Having already enjoyed two spells at Ibrox it has been confirmed this evening that the former Scotland striker has completed his hat-trick by joining the Light Blues on an initial one-year deal and he couldn’t be happier to be ‘home’ once again.

Speaking exclusively to RangersTV.tv at Murray Park he said: “It’s amazing. It’s obviously been a long time coming and it’s no secret I’ve been trying to come back for probably a few transfer windows now.

“So to get back now and play a part in what will be a tough Championship league next year is great. That’s an understatement to be honest and I’ve not had the smile off my face since I knew it was going to happen.

“It was always my first choice but in football you can’t pick and choose where you go. I’ve just been fortunate enough that there’s people in charge that still believe in me and still want me to come back and play a part in their squad.

“It was something that, after spending a few years across in Canada and with the little one going to school as well in the next few months, was always on the radar to come back to Britain at the end of my time in Vancouver.

“For me the first choice was Rangers Football Club and I’m absolutely over the moon that it’s managed to go that way.â€

Following his move away from Rangers in January 2011 Miller has played in Turkey with Bursaspor, Wales with Cardiff City and Canada with MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps but when there was a break in fixtures he was regularly given the chance to train at Murray Park to maintain his fitness.

He said: “Obviously I’ve been here twice now and over the close seasons I’ve spent a few months – each November, December and January – in here training and doing rehab this year.

“I felt so comfortable and I always felt relaxed coming in, the people at the club were fantastic.

“To be honest I just can’t wait for the first game and walking out in front of that Ibrox crowd again."

Leaving Rangers for Bursaspor midway through the 2010/11 campaign was a tough decision for Miller and it is one he now regrets.

Walter Smith’s side went on to claim their third SPL title on the bounce with Kenny the club’s top scorer with 22 goals. Looking back he wished he had stayed and added a few more to his tally.

“To be honest I’ve said a lot in the past that I’ve tried to have no regrets in my career but that is probably the one I look back on.

“Different things were in the decision making process there and without going into too many details it was made clear to me that the contract I felt I deserved at that time wasn’t really going to be on the table.

“I remember the Wednesday night that it was confirmed that I was going to be going. I think we were playing Inverness at Ibrox and if you spoke to my wife I was in the car with a tear in my eye. I knew I didn’t really want to do it.

“I could have had 40 goals at the end of that season. The way things were going and the way the team was playing there was a big chance I could have finished with a lot of goals that year.

“It would have been great but we just felt rather than waiting until the end of the season - and the way it was looking was that I would have had to move on anyway - we thought it was the time to move then.

“That is definitely a regret I have and probably since the minute I left this club and within a few months of leaving I’ve been trying to come back.  

“This place is massive for me and like I said before it does feel like I’m coming home now.â€

[Lofty.]

Meant to post this a while back but got distracted.

 

Following on from the re-signing of Kenny Miller, Rangers have signed central defender Darren McGregor on a one year contract with the option of a further year.

 

 

The 28-year-old central defender spent four years with St Mirren in the top flight, having moved from Cowdenbeath in 2010, and becomes Ally McCoist’s second acquisition of the summer following the arrival of Kenny Miller last week.

McGregor commented: “I am absolutely delighted to get the chance to join Rangers. This is one of the biggest clubs in world football and I can’t wait to play at Ibrox in front of so many supporters, it really is a dream come true.

“I will work hard and do everything I can to help this club get back to the top of Scottish football and I am sure next season’s Championship campaign will be a successful one.â€

Rangers Manager Ally McCoist added: “Darren is a player we have always liked and appreciated as he is a wholehearted, committed and solid defender.

“He is also very quick and we feel he will be a good acquisition. I watched St Mirren a number of times last year and he was a very consistent performer. He has good experience and it is a tremendous opportunity for Darren to kick on and progress his career.â€

[Lofty.]

Zaliukas Joins Gers

 

RANGERS Football Club can this afternoon confirm the signing of Marius Zaliukas on a two-year deal.

The Lithuanian defender joined Ally McCoist’s squad in Brora last week and during his second trial spell with the club he impressed both in training and in a 45-minute run-out against Brora Rangers at Dudgeon Park.

Having successfully completed his medical he will now travel with the League One champions to North America tomorrow.  

Zaliukas came close to agreeing a deal with the Light Blues last September but after training at Murray Park he moved to Elland Road instead.

Prior to that the 30-year-old centre half spent seven years in Edinburgh with the Jambos and captained the club Rangers will face on the opening day of the Championship season at Ibrox.

In total he played 220 times for Hearts following his move from FBK Kaunas in his homeland and scored on 14 occasions.

Manager Ally McCoist has already added one central defender to his pool this summer with ex-St Mirren stopper Darren McGregor putting pen-to-paper on a one-year contract on June 11.

With Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd also returning to Ibrox last month, Zaliukas’ decision to join Rangers is another boost for the manager and the club as the preparations continue for a massive year in Scottish football’s second tier.

 

_________________________________________________________________
 

In other news, Steve Simonson has rejoined Rangers and admits he turned down the chance to be the number one goalkeeper at other clubs to do it.

 

The former England under-21 has penned a one-year deal for the second season in a row after his previous agreement expired at the end of last term.

Simonsen is expected to provide back-up to Cammy Bell once again in Ally McCoist’s squad, just as he did in 2013/14.

There was interest in the 35-year-old from teams on both sides of the border including SPFL Premiership and Championship sides.

But once the former Stoke City player got a call from McCoist asking him to return to Ibrox that was the only thing he wanted to do.

Simonsen understands the likelihood is he’ll deputise for Bell again after making just three appearances against his team-mate’s 39 last time out.

But he is simply thrilled to be part of the squad against and will travel with it to America and Canada on tour after turning out in the second half of the 4-2 closed-doors win over Fulham.

Simonsen said: “I had a lot of other teams getting in contact and it was a little bit like buses this summer.

“A few in England and Scotland got in touch but as soon as the manager expressed his interest in bringing me back here again it was a non-competition.

“This was the only place I wanted to come to and there’s massive appeal here because I thoroughly enjoyed it at Rangers last season.

“It’s a fantastic football club as everybody knows. When I got the call, I just told the manager I’d be here whenever he needed me. I couldn’t wait to get back.

“I could maybe have gone somewhere else as the number one but I’m just delighted to be back and I’m looking forward to working alongside Cammy again.â€