Mather, Green, precontracts, Swedish record

I know I’m not the only one worried about tonight’s game.  A few bombscare moments is all it takes to crash out of Europe, think Big Dan in Sion (we don’t get to play a joker every year).  We now have four games under our belts but there are still lots of cobwebs to blow away.

On the positive side, we’ve never lost a competitive goal to Swedish opposition and this Celtic squad have the wherewithal to raise their game and see this one through.  A week ago we said Kris Commons and Georgios Samaras would be crucial, this will be even more so tonight. Georgios is the most effective ‘out ball’ in the squad, while Kris’ ability to prize open defences has, if anything, improved since the summer break.

Elfsborg are at home tonight after four games on the road. Piling away games together always taxes a team. They will be pleased to be back at the Boras Arena but fine tuning is everything in this business, and apart from the seven goal whipping of Daugava Daugavpils in the last Champions League qualifying round, they have not had a tactically-conventional home game in almost a month.

Take them, Celtic.

Ranger Charity Foundation have, unfortunately, reset the dial on what charities can get away with without consequence.  One trustee even refused to answer questions from the Office of the Scottish Charity Register (OSCR), who, incidentally, decided to take no action.  OSCR had the temerity to lay new guidelines for charities associated with other football clubs. Other football clubs charities are nothing to do with that lot and I hope this incident does nothing to dent enthusiasm for our 1254125 campaign.

Last week, Rangers International chief exec Craig Mather, demanded to know why group of clubs were fined by the SFA following financial collapse, while Hearts and Dunfermline were not. Yesterday the SFA spelled out the considerable difference in scenarios, while informing us that Rangers (sic) actually asked for a financial penalty, presumably instead of a sporting penalty.

Yes, you heard right….. Duff and Phelps, who were appointed to recover creditors money, who attempted to sign new players during their tenure, asked for a financial penalty. Consistent with creditors interests and their considerable fee?

Mather is a ‘keeper’. I don’t know about you but I feel I am getting my £500k per year’s worth of entertainment out of him.

Congratulations (again) to STV’s Peter Smith on another excellent interview with Charles Green yesterday.  It was Green’s “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth” moment, as he appeared to suggest deviousness was a positive attribute.

There were more highlights than we have time to cover here.  I am sure Walter Smith was delighted his private view that the current Rangers (sic) team are the worst in history (yes, I am aware of the short history).

Green did his best impersonation of a statue when Peter Smith mentioned the Dallas Cowboys but the former Rangers International chief exec was clear that despite the critical financial challenge ahead, he was not going to cancel pre-contract agreements with players due to join the club in September.  That’s the thing about contracts, pre or otherwise, you can’t just cancel them unilaterally.

The eight players Rangers International have signed will join the club and there is nothing Green can do about it.  Unless, they fail their medical….  Do you think Charles has been studying the Ricky Fulton book on Rangers management? This is how they used to do it down Ibrox way…….

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