Premier League Live Streaming

Rangers non-executive directors John Greig and John McClelland have resigned from the club claiming they have been isolated following Craig Whyte’s takeover in May.

The resignations come just one week after Rangers finance director Donald McIntyre also stepped down from the board.

McIntyre and former chief executive Martin Bain were both suspended by the Scottish champions in May, shortly after Whyte completed his takeover.

McClelland and Greig survived that initial overhaul of the Ibrox boardroom, but their decisions to step down today add to a growing list of off-field problems for Rangers.

The Scottish champions, who lead Motherwell by seven points at the top of the SPL, are currently involved in two separate tax disputes with HM Revenue and Customs, while Bain is also suing the club for £1.3million in an unfair dismissal claim.

Greig captained Rangers during his playing days there in the 1960s and 1970s, leading them to victory in the final of the European Cup Winners Cup in 1972.

McClelland was chairman of the club between 2002 and 2004.

“These resignations have been communicated by letter to the chairman, Craig Whyte,” read the statement from Rangers.

“They result from John McClelland and John Greig both being of the opinion that since the change of ownership they have been excluded from participating in corporate governance at the club.

“Therefore they have decided not to continue in their positions as non-executive directors.”

Join the Best Football Manager game now, Its Free!

Arsenal v Bolton Live Streaming

10. Peter van Rossen – RANGERS v Celtic

The Scottish Premier League is to vote on changes to the game in Scotland following discussions at Hampden Park on Monday. The proposals include changing the make-up of the SPL from 12 teams to 10, creating an extra relegation place to be decided by play-offs, and the merging of the Premier League with the lower divisions into one Scottish League.

These plans, head of the SPL Neil Doncaster argues, would create greater financial parity between the teams, therefore making the league more competitive and successful.

This would be a step forward for a nation that finds itself floundering not only in the FIFA rankings, having plummeted to their lowest ranking since 2005 0f 66th, but also in the UEFA coefficients, with last season’s poor showing in Europe by Scottish clubs leading to Belgium taking their second Champions League spot.

However, one of the proposals being mooted that is sure to rile the Football League in England is the creation of a British League Cup, supposedly by incorporating the Scottish League Cup with the English version.

The fact that such a suggestion should be made in a manifesto for improving the Scottish League is interesting, as previous attempts at advancing the SPL centred around removing Celtic and Rangers and entering them into the Premier League. Now, it seems, the SPL would rather see the entire league have the opportunity to face English opposition on a yearly basis instead.

One issue with such an idea is the already congested nature of the fixtures throughout the Football League. Earlier in April, for example, Paul Lambert found his Norwich team facing 3 fixtures in the space of 6 days, arguably an attempt by the League to appease hungry sponsors desperate to see football being played, and televised, every day of the week. Indeed the Scottish League has already committed itself to starting on July 23^rd for the 2011-12 season, 3 weeks earlier than this season, to lessen the threat of midweek games in the winter months. With the first round of the Carling Cup usually scheduled as the second game of the season for clubs outside the Premier League, the addition of another 42 names to the hat will only make for more congestion.

Another issue is that the Scottish League Cup is almost as predictable as the SPL. In the last 20 years, it has been won by either Celtic or Rangers 15 times, compared to the English League Cup having been lifted by 11 different teams over the same period of time. And with the English version already being used as an experiment by the bigger teams to test younger players or to give fringe members a game, at least until the latter stages where managers realise they have the chance to get their hands on some silverware, it could be seen as an even bigger waste of time.

What will surely anger the heads of English football most is that such an idea could be discussed without any form of communication between the two bodies, and following the Premier League’s blunt refusal to admit the Old Firm clubs to the top flight in 2009 it seems unlikely that a competition such as the one being considered will ever come to be.

Whether a bold attempt at improving the level of Scottish football or a brazen crack at regaining a place in Europe while making a quick buck, any plans for a British Cup are sure to be shot down at Hadrian’s Wall by the Football League, and probably rightly so.

Join the Best Football Manager game now, Its Free!

Bet on the SPL with Sportingbet.com and get a free bet worth up to £50

Motherwell 0-1 Rangers (Miller)

Rangers Miller Goal v Motherwell December 26th 2010
Uploaded by chiper54. – Check out more sports and extreme sports videos.

Motherwell 0-2 Rangers (Saunders Own Goal)

Motherwell 1-2 Rangers (Sutton)

Motherwell 1-3 Rangers (Weiss)

Rangers Weiss Goal v Motherwell December 26th 2010
Uploaded by chiper54. – More professional, college and classic sports videos.

Join the Best Football Manager game now, Its Free!

Bet on Celtic with Sportingbet.com and get a free bet worth up to £50

Celtic want to sign Aston Villa rebel Stephen Ireland on loan – and in time to make a dramatic debut against Rangers in the Old Firm derby.

Neil Lennon’s club are first in the queue for the extrovert midfielder and their backers are prepared to pay Villa around £40,000-a-week to take Ireland for the second half of the season.

The Glasgow giants would like Ireland to join immediately to get him ready for the big game with their title rivals, with negotiations moving on quickly.

Villa would like to sell Ireland or let him go to a club on loan who guarantee they will take him off their hands. However Celtic are looking for a quick answer rather than waiting until the end of the window.

Ireland is willing to go to the SPL and restore his reputation after an ill-fated transfer to Villa, a deal pushed through when they were managerless and before Gerard Houllier took the helm. (Daily Mirror)

Stephen Ireland may well be very interested in the chance to go to Celtic and attempt to resurrect a career that is currently stagnating at Villa Park. Gerard Houllier seems more than happy to see the former Man City playmaker leave the club and at least a loan move to Parkhead would help prove to any prospective suitors just what the 24 year old is capable of.

Neil Lennon will be keen to bring a player of Ireland’s quality to the club as they look to prevent arch rivals Rangers from clinching their third SPL title on the trot. Clearly any permanent move for the Irish international would be very difficult for the Glasgow side to achieve given the player’s wage demands.

Join the Best Football Manager game now, Its Free!

Manchester United tickets available from Telegraph Tickets

Bet on Man Utd with Sportingbet.com and get a free bet worth up to £50

Wayne Rooney was relieved to be welcomed back to the pitch by Manchester United fans at the weekend but admits he was nervous about their reaction.

Speaking to MUTV, he said: “I’ve been out for a long time, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about the reaction from the fans but the reception was brilliant and I just tried to help the team win and score goals.

“It (the crowd response) was brilliant. I can understand fans’ frustrations with the contract negotiations, obviously it happened in the public eye which made it more difficult. But at the end of the day the main thing for myself and the club is that we managed to agree that deal.

“I’ve signed a new deal to stay here and my long-term future is at Man United.”

The England striker also scotched suggestions that some of his United team-mates had been giving him the cold shoulder following the episode.

“The players have been fine,” he said.

“There’s no problem whatsoever since the negotiations, not before or after. The press have probably made a big issue out of nothing.

“I always made it aware I wanted to be at this club. I had my concerns and voiced my opinion but at the end of the day I’m delighted that my long-term future is at United,

“I want to to help the young players the way Giggsy, Gary Neville and Scholesy have helped me. I want to be here and to continue to make this club successful.” (Independent)

There is no doubt that there will be some Manchester United fans unable to forgive Wayne Rooney for attempting to hold the club to ransom with his contract negotiations – whether it was his agent playing puppeteer or not.

For most though, a return to the goalscoring displays of last season will bring redemption.

A decent display against Rangers in the Champions League, in his first full ninety minutes since returning from injury, would be a good first step.

However, it wouldn’t have done his relationship with the fans any harm were he to say sorry – even if Elton John says it is the hardest word.

Sorry.

Manchester United tickets available from Telegraph Tickets

Bet on Manchester United with Sportingbet.com and get a free bet worth up to £50

United will take on Rangers on Wednesday night without the club’s first-choice centre-backs.

Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have been successfully re-united at the heart of the Reds’ defence in recent weeks, starting together in all bar one of the last six games – the exception being Bursaspor away when it was deemed advisable for Rio to avoid the four-hour flight.

Now Ferdinand will miss another Champions League match, as will his Serbian sidekick following Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision to rest the pair and place his trust in the likes of Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans.

Ferdinand and Vidic, who both trained at Carrington on Tuesday morning, have missed the same game on just one previous occasion this season – the 3-2 Carling Cup victory at home to Wolves, when Smalling and Evans played the full 90 minutes in tandem.

Absentees from training on Tuesday included Darren Fletcher, Darron Gibson, Gary Neville, Owen Hargreaves and Michael Owen. (Manchester United official website)

Although Chris Smalling has looked promising thus far in his Manchester United career, he is still inexperienced, and a European tie at Ibrox is quite an intimidating atmosphere for someone who has played a handful games.

Jonny Evans has looked similarly shaky without either Vidic or Ferdinand alongside to guide him, and Rangers fans will be rubbing their hands together ahead of a match they will believe they can win.

The fact that Smalling’s and Evans’ only 90 minutes together resulted in two goals conceded to Wolverhampton Wanderers does not bode well either.

With Darren Fletcher looking increasingly unlikely to make it either, if Walter Smith were to attack the Red Devils, Rangers could pull off the first of the two wins they need to seal qualification.

Manchester United tickets available from Telegraph Tickets

Bet on Man Utd with Sportingbet.com and get a free bet worth up to £50

Darren Fletcher was missing from training on Tuesday morning as Manchester United opted to have their final session at Carrington ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League encounter with Rangers.

Sir Alex Ferguson and his players are not due to fly into Scotland until Tuesday afternoon but it already appears Fletcher will not be required in his homeland, although no reason has been offered for his absence on Tuesday.

Darron Gibson and Gary Neville were also notable absentees, although Ryan Giggs was there, along with Wayne Rooney, who is expected to make his first start since the Premier League visit to Bolton at the beginning of last month.

United require a single point to confirm their presence in the last 16, although it will not be easy in a highly-charged atmosphere at Ibrox. (Press Association)

Darren Fletcher’s all-action displays in midfield have been a vital factor in the Red Devils’ unbeaten run this season, and the confirmed Celtic fan is a big loss for Manchester United.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s team need just a point to qualify for the next stage of the UEFA Champions League, but will want all three if they are to all but seal qualification as Group C winners.

For Rangers, the match is even more crucial.

Their fate is in their own hands, but they need to win both their remaining matches against Manchester United and Bursaspor in order to guarantee qualification. If they win one and draw the other, results elsewhere will need to go their way.

Join the Best Football Manager game now, It’s Free!

Win the Club Shirt Of Your Choice Simply by Speaking Your Mind!

Hibernian 0-1 Rangers (Lafferty)

Celebrations at the final whistle

Join Our Facebook Fan Page for the Latest News/Rumours/Forums/Videos/WAGS/Funny Stuff/Features!

Don’t forget to check out Online Football Manager!

Join Our Facebook Fan Page for the Latest News/Rumours/Forums/Videos/WAGS/Funny Stuff/Features!

Don’t forget to check out Online Football Manager!