Our Etims mole has been taking advantage of the good weather, and spent a couple of days watching at listening to goings on down at the Lennoxtown training ground, and he’s heard a few things…

You know, like he does when he rings us and says he’s got a rumour mill ready.

He tells us …

“Tony & Neil were supportive of sports science & encouraged it. Ronny, however is a different level. Minute details of all players kept” 

“Players have individual dietary programmes and are religiously checked for body fat. Ronny’s team are experts in this area”.

“Ronny has also invoked this at academy level. He wants all young pro’s to eat, train & live like first team players”. 

“Ronny has also invoked this at academy level. He wants all young pro’s to eat, train & live like first team players”. 

All players (inc academy) can go online 4 hours after every match & see their performance, distance covered etc. A different world”. 

“Ronny regularly visits academy training to talk to players. Has made it clear they are future of club & if they impress they will play”. 

“Young players over the moon with the proactive involvement from Ronny & his intent to give them every opportunity to succeed”. 

“Youth coaches have been told that any players standing out are to immediately be sent to train with first team squad”. 

“Players will initially train for 2-3 weeks with first team before returning to academy. Any that excel will remain with first team”. 

“Youth players have 20 KPI’s they are marked against. This is judged via use of training / game video & diet evidence all stored on d/base”. 

Aidan Nesbitt trained a lot with the first team last season. Ronny has very high hopes for him if he continues to progress as expected.  

That is the best news i’ve heard from the club in years. For too long we’ve seen players promise so much but fail to make the jump to the first team, which has proved to be more of a chasm than a simply a step up.

If they are monitored and integrated in this way, then they will have a much greater chance of succeeding with the club, not only because they are being helped, but because they feel they are being helped.

It’s also worth noting that they are being taught to be 24 hour athletes from the beginning, and they are getting the right habits in early, so that any step up will not be so much of a shock. The idea of them training with the first team for a couple of weeks at a time is reminiscent of the Quality Street Kids , where the youngsters would be introduced sparingly, but also sent  back to the second team to avoid burn out and , just as improtantly, to keep their feet on the ground. The latter perhaps more significant in these days of highly paid kids having achieved nothing but having the trappings of success.

More and more, there’s a feeling that had Ronny Deila not replaced Neil Lennon when he did, we may have had a problem or two within the club by now. It is starting to look like action was taken before it became a problem, and it’s been averted.

By the way, we hear John McGinley, once of Bolton, has a pub in Horwich, which is where Lennon takes the players after the game….how are they doing these days ?

The draw for the qualifiers is next week. The friendlies start soon.

Around this time last year, we were a little nervous. Perhaps worrying that the all important qualifiers were coming a little too soon.

This year, they could start tomorrow for all I care. We’re a different team now.

No matter what the bookies think.

28 May 2016. I’m booking that day off, just in case.

Okay, maybe that’s a little bit over optimistic, there are still a few flaws to be ironed out, and we will face a tougher season at home as teams continue to improve.

But there’s something about the club now, a buzz about the place even…

Number two John Collins has spoken briefly about the problems of bringing in new players this early. After all, it’s still holiday time for most of them, and they will be advised by agents to hold on and wait for desperate clubs to raise their offers closer to deadline day. Thats why Deydrick boayat is a more promising signing than most, he didn’t hang around and made his mind up quickly, intimating that it’s Celtic he wants to play for, and no-one else.

Collins said;

 “Every team are trying to get a couple in and hopefully we can before the Champions League qualifiers – They come think and fast the games for us at the start of the season – We’re back next week, June 23, it’s an early start because we’ve got the qualifiers,” 

to be fair, the chaps at the Scotsman paper are trying to help…

Rumour Mill: Celtic chase Djuric | Anya | Ciftci

They couldn’t think of a player beginning with “B”, but will move on to “E” , “F” “G” and “H” tomorrow.

They won’t be doing “W” though. It looks like Danny Wilson will be joining Second Rangers as new manager Mark Warburton starts his summer shopping spree with a swoop for the out of contract defender.

Hang on, after further reading, it appears that Ciftci would be a good signing for ,,,,,Second Rangers !

RICHARD Gough has claimed that Rangers should pounce for Dundee United striker Nadir Ciftci.

The former Rangers skipper reckons ‘Ciftci has already shown he can cut it at the highest level in Scotland’ and described the Turkish forward as ‘ideal for Rangers.’

Gough said: “Okay, there have been some problems with Ciftci off the pitch, but he’s hardly Gazza. If you can keep him on the straight and narrow, what an asset the lad would be. Strong, powerful and with an eye for goal, he would be ideal for Rangers.” 

As long as there’s no transfer fee and he doesn’t want any wages i suppose.

The summer of spin has started, even this site is in on the act-have a look at ten things you didn’t know about Warburton- and the great revival has begun… again

Matt MacGlone spotted this

Another billionaire ? Oh, wait, it’s not actually his money, and turnover isn’t the same as profit…not that the last billionaire had his own money either, but you get the point.

Then there’s the warning….

And another….

@markmorgan521 @OliverKayTimes I’d expect Rangers to be Scottish champions in 2/3 yrs – then a crack at ECL – a real CV-booster

The lad with the long Gaelic name summed it up perfectly…

But there was serious stuff at Ibrox yesterday..remember the vote at the EGM ? The result was due on a vote or two…

As the club/company/car crash is not listed on the stock exchange-in fact it’s not listed anywhere-they aren’t accountable to anyone.

so if they don’t want to tell us, they don’t have to.

 With Warburton in place the hacks have forgotten about everything else, and can’t ask any questions as lamb is back on the menu and they are cramming themselves full of it.

 One expert, Gordon Smith, said it could be two or three years before they are challenging Celtic for the title… he expects the clubs to make loads of new signings and romp the First division, like last year.

They couldn’t even give the new guys a scarf each.

Well, we’d better enjoy it while we can, I  suppose. The Rangers are Coming.

They’re not on the same road as us, nor going in the same direction at the same time.

 But they are coming….so they say , anyway.

I’ll leave the last words to Chris Jack, who is a reporter with the Evening times…

New Rangers boss Mark Warburton: This is my dream come blue

IT IS a walk that many have dreamt of …

but a journey that few have made at Ibrox.

Through the front doors, up the Marble Staircase, past the bust of Bill Struth and then Sandy Jardine, have a glance at the Hall of Fame board, study the pictures on the wall and take a seat in the Blue Room.

It was the route that Mark Warburton took for the first time yesterday, each step along the famous path seeing the surroundings sink in that little bit more as he got a taste of life as Rangers manager.  

He does know there’s been four since February , doesn’t he. and the daft bassas are still paying two of them ?

anyway, enough of them..

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