Monday 4 July 2011

Juan Manuel Ortiz jets in for signing talks

Spanish winger Juan Manuel Ortiz, who currently plays for Spanish side Almeria, is in Glasgow for signing talks according to STV.

The midfielder can play on either wing and can also be deployed at full back which will be very helpful to Ally McCoist.

Ortiz started his career at Atletico Madrid where he played just 5 times in 5 years. During his time at Atletico Madrid, Ortiz had two loan spells, one at Osasuna and another one at Poji Elido!

Here's a video of the player;

http://www.youtube.com/user/spasibo5555?blend=8&ob=5#p/u/0/tpvGDdoJwUk

Thursday 9 June 2011

Transfer Targets Update: 3 new players linked as Cuellar move edges closer

Defenders, defenders, defenders - Seems to be all Rangers are being linked with. Well finally today two more attacking players were found in the newspapers beside Rangers name. Gokhan Zan from Galatasary the defenders linked with Rangers today, while midfielders Alejandro Bedoya who plays for Orebro in Sweden and Liverpools 19 year old Left Midfielder Thomas Ince were also linked with a move to Ibrox.

As these three players are linked with Rangers, it seems an ex-player is on his way back to Ibrox with Ally McCoist in the Daily Record saying that he'll be straight on the phone to the new Aston Villa manager and enquiring about 29 year old Spanish Centre back Carlos Cuellar.



Gokhan Zan is currently a free agent after leaving Turkish side Galatasaray. The 29 year old Turk was offered a new contract on £50,000, but that was rejected as he wants to move abroad, and it's reported his is willing to take a pay cut of more than 50% to join Rangers or Old Firm rivals Celtic, who he has also been linked with.

Zan started of his career at Hatayspor in1999, he left them just one year later when he signed for Canakkale Dardanelspor where he stayed for 3 years playing 80 games. Impressive performances won him a move to Besiktas JK, at first Zan didn't play very well and in 2004 spent a year on loan at Gaziantepspor. He returned to Besiktas the following year and his career at the Turkish giants excelled and he became an important player for them winning the Turkish Cup on 3 occasions and the Turkish Super Cup on 2 occasions. Zan then went to Galatasaray in 2009 and left in 2011 after failing to agree new terms.

Zan is currently a free agent, but his wages could prove to be a stumbling block for the Ibrox club.



Alejandro Bedoya is a 24 year old American international midfielder who plays for Orebro in Sweden. Bedoya has came from a footballing family with his brother, his father and his grandfather all playing professional football. As an amateur, Bedoya won Player of the Year for his school team while helping them win the 5A Florida State Championship. At College Bedoya was twice nominated for the prestigious Hermann Trophy.

Instead of going into the MLS SuperDraft, Bedoya decided to go abroad and signed a contract with Swedish club Orebro in 2009. Bedoya has 8 goals in 58 games for Orebro.

 Bedoya, currently playing for the USA at the Gold Cup, would cost between £1m-£2m.



Thomas Ince is a 19 year old left sided midfielder who currently plays for Liverpool. Like Bedoya, Ince comes from a big footballing family, particularly his father, former Liverpool and Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince.

Ince is regarded as a pacy left winger with bags of skill and potential. He is also being linked with Ajax. So far he has not made a league appearance for Liverpool but made his Liverpool debut in the League Cup third round defeat to Northampton.

Ince did enjoy a loan spell at Notts County under his father, and made six appearances scoring two goals. There has been nothing reported as to what the potential fee would be.



Carlos Cuellars move to Ibrox seems to be edging closer as Ally McCoist has said he wants him at Ibrox, while Cuellar says he wants to return, it all depends on whether the new Aston Villa boss wants him to stay. Speaking to the media McCoist told them that he would be the first person on the phone when Villa appoint a new boss asking about the 29 year old Spaniard.

Tuesday 7 June 2011

Transfer Update: The Return of the King?(and Danny Wilson)

Carlos Cuellar has became the latest player to be linked with a move to the Ibrox club, he's been linked with a return to the club he left in the summer of 2008, while another central defender who left Ibrox is also being linked with a return to the club, 19 year old Liverpool defender Danny Wilson.



Both players left the club under a cloud of disappointment from the fans point of view, but both would be welcomed back if they were brought back.

Carlos Cuellar left the club in August 2008 for a fee of £7.8m despite just months earlier saying he wanted to be a Ranger for life. The 29 year old Centre back had set a club record the previous season as he played in 65 matches in one season during Rangers run to the Uefa Cup final, winning the CIS Cup and the Scottish Cup and losing out on the league title on the final day of the season to Old Firm rivals Celtic.

Cuellar started his career at Spanish 4th division side Calahorra, but he only spent one year there there before making the big jump to Numancia in the Spanish second division. Cuellar made a name for himself here after an impressive second season and managed to win a move to La Liga side Osasuna. Cuellar became an important figure in the Osasuna side and was one of the main men in the squad that qualified for the Champions League.

Cuellars impressive performances in the Champions League and then the Uefa Cup, including a clash with Rangers, led Walter Smith to make 3 bids for Cuellar, having previously having two rejected, a third bid of £2.37m was finally accepted and Rangers had their player. Cuellar made a flying start to life in Scotland and won Player of the Month for August before winning Player of the Year at the end of the season.

Cuellar left Ibrox for Aston Villa and has since then struggled with injuries and a loss of form due to being turned into a left back. If he does return Cuellar will have to re win a lot of fans, but there's no reason why he couldn't.



The other centre back possibly on his way back to Ibrox, is 19 year old Danny Wilson. It's believed McCoist wants to bring back the youngster who left the club for Liverpool last summer, on a season long loan deal. Wilson rose to fame at Ibrox in the 2009/2010 season when he became the youngest Rangers player to play in a Champions League match when he started against Unirea Urziceni.

Wilson's deal is rumoured to have been on the cards for weeks, but originally a problem was struck over wages. It's also been rumoured that Wilson will have to wait and see what happens with the Kyle Bartley deal before the loan deal is finalised. Like Cuellar, Wilson will have a lot of work to do to win over fans.

Monday 6 June 2011

Coisty's Cubs?

There's four young players that have been on the fringes of the first team over the course of last season with some breaking into the first team from January onwards on a regular basis, these players of course are Jamie Ness, Kyle Hutton, Gregg Wylde and John Fleck.



Name: Jamie Ness
Date of Birth: 2/3/1991 (20)
Position: Centre Midfield
Club League Appearances: 11

Jamie Ness made his first team debut against Motherwell on 26th December 2010, despite having made his first Rangers appearance against Portsmouth in a pre-season friendly. Ness has struggled with injuries throughout his career and hasn't played more than 6 games in a row since he was just 15 due to injuries. He's known for his ability to pick a pass and his fierce shot. He scored his first(and only to present) Rangers goal on 6th February 2011 against Old Firm rivals in the Scottish Cup 5th round 2-2 draw when he smashed a spectacular effort past Fraser Forster in the second minute of the match.

Ness' style of play has proved to be effective in him breaking into the first team and the Rangers faithful have taken a strong liken to him. If Ness can get over his injury problems, he could easily become the best midfielder to play for Rangers since Barry Ferguson first broke into the team.



Name: Kyle Hutton
Date of Birth: 15/2/1991(20)
Position: Centre Midfield
Club League Appearances: 7

Kyle Hutton is another central midfielder breaking into the team and since his first team debut against Kilmarnock on the opening day of last season, has drawn comparisons to Rangers legend Barry Ferguson due to his style of play. Hutton is a tough tackling, ball playing central midfielder who's not afraid to try things. Standing at 6 ft 2 inches and as strong as bull, Hutton certainly isn't one to mess with.

Kyle Hutton recently signed a contract extension at Ibrox, keeping him at the club until summer 2014, and has a bright future at the club, he's certainly one to look out for.



Name: Gregg Wylde
Date of Birth: 23/3/1991(20)
Position: Left Midfield
Club League Appearances: 17

The 20 year old from Kirkintilloch joined the Ibrox club as a 14 year old from Old Firm rivals Celtic and has since gone from strength to strength since then. Initially a left back, Wylde has since transformed to a left midfielder who uses his sheer pace to easily skip past his opponents. Wylde made his debut in August 2009 when he came on against Hamilton Accies at Ibrox.

Towards the end of last season Wylde became an important part of the first team towards the end of the season after making appearances in the Europa League clash against PSV Eindhoven, then the CIS Cup Final against Celtic. The left winger has a lot of work to do on his game, but theres no doubt he will be a terrific player for Rangers.



Name: John Fleck
Date of Birth: 24/8/1991(19)
Position: Attacking midfield/Centre forward
League Club Appearances: 37


John Fleck has been a player tipped for stardom since he was 14. When he made his first team debut against East Stirling in the Scottish Cup in 2008 he was aged just 16, his first league appearance came on the 22nd of May against Aberdeen, before he became the youngest player to play in a British Cup final 2 days later when he came on against Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup final.

Since then Fleck's career certainly hasn't hit the heights that were expected when he inspired a 5-0 Youth Cup Final over Celtic when he was just 15, before also inspiring them in the 2008 Youth Cup Final when Rangers again beat Celtic, this time 3-1. However, due to the immense about the pressure, Fleck hasn't been able to deal with that and he's fallen down the pecking order. After signing a 3 year contract in 2010, Flecks form has starting getting better when has got a chance. Perhaps under Ally McCoist, he will hit the heights that has been expected? One things for sure, fans need to lay off him.

Sunday 5 June 2011

Transfer Targets Update: Torsten Frings, Andreas Granqvist

Another day and we have a new player linked with a move to Ibrox. This time its Torsten Frings. Also linked with the club in the press is Swedish international Andreas Granqvist. Kyle Bartley has also been linked with Rangers.



Frings(34), is currently a free agent after leaving Werder Bremen. Frings has had an impressive career so far and  McCoist will no doubt be looking at him. Torsten Frings started his career at Alemannia Aachen where he played 56 times scoring 13 goals in 3 years. Impressive performances at the Old Tivoli stadium led him to get a move to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen where he played 162 league appearances scoring 15 times. He then went to Borrusia Dortmund and Bayern Munich before returning to Werder Bremen in 2005.

Frings is known for his vision to pick a pass, as well as his ability to score a goal from anywhere on the pitch. Frings is primarily a defensive midfielder but can play anywhere in the midfield. Frings experience would be vital in the attempts to win four in a row, also providing great experience that young midfielders Kyle Hutton and Jamie Ness could learn from. A free agent since he left Werder Bremen in the summer, signing Frings on a free transfer would be a shrewd bit of business for sure.



Andreas Granqvist, a 26 year old Swedish centre back, is another player being linked with a move to Ibrox. Currently playing for Dutch side Fc Groningen under ex-Ger Pieter Huistra. Starting out at home town club Helsingborgs, Granqvist done enough there to persuade then Wigan manager Paul Jewell to sign him for English side Wigan. However, this turned out to be unsuccessful as he ended back at Helsingborgs on loan in 2008 before signing for current club Fc Groningen in later in 2008. Granqvist has been successful at Groningen, as well as being successful in his international career for Sweden.

Granqvist is believed to be on his way to Ibrox alongside Emilson Cribari as replacements for Madjid Bougherra and David Weir. Granqvist would cost around £1m to bring to Ibrox.

Thursday 2 June 2011

Transfer Targets

We've had four real possibilities linked with Rangers that Ally McCoist is believed to have made moves for or is watching closely, David Vaughan(Blackpool), Toché(Cartagena), Tomer Hemed(Maccabi Haifa) and finally Emilson Cribari(Napoli). Everyone of these has been heavily linked and are all available on free transfers.



We'll start with David Vaughan of Blackpool, the 28 year old Welsh midfielder has been vital for Blackpool since 2008, playing along with former Rangers midfielder Charlie Adam. Vaughan has been an important player for Blackpool during their promotion to the English Premiership. Vaughan started his career at Crewe Alexandra, initially as an attacking full back before switching to left midfield, and then becoming a centre midfielder. A tough tackling, ball playing midfielder, he really is an all rounder. Vaughan can pick a pass just as good as his Blackpool team-mate Adam. Vaughan played one season in Spain with Real Sociedad before returning to England to sign for Blackpool.

The Welshman would enter Ibrox on a free if McCoist offered him a contract he wanted to sign, although Rangers do face competition from Sunderland and of course his current club Blackpool for his signature. Vaughan would provide stern competition for senior midfielders Steven Davis, Mo Edu, Lee McCulloch and youngsters Kyle Hutton and Jamie Ness as well as providing back up to wide midfielder Gregg Wylde.



Next we move onto Cartagena striker Toché, a 28 year old Spanish striker who has 32 goals in 60 games for Cartagena. Toché started his career at Athletico Madrid playing in their "B" side scoring 32 in 72 games from 2002-2004. Toché only made one appearance for Atheltico's top team. The following season he signed on loan for Numancia where he made 5 appearances before suffering torn knee ligaments. From there he went on loan to Hercules, then onto Valladolid before returning to Numancia on a permanent deal. At Numancia Toché experienced promotion after playing in the Numancia side who was relegated during his loan spell. Toché went to Albacete in December 2008 signing a two year contract, however he left the club that summer to sign for Cartagena.

Up until his move to Cartagena Toché had been a bit of a journeyman, he's since spent two season at Cartegena. He's proved to be a success at Cartagena and Rangers face competition from English Premieriship side Wigan for his signature. Toché is a 5 foot 10 target man, who would surely come into the squad as a backup player to Nikica Jelavic and Kyle Lafferty at first.



Next up we have Tomer Hemed, the 24 year old Israeli striker who plays for Maccabi Haifa. Standing at 6 foot tall, Hemed is also regarded as a target man and I feel it will be one or the other than Rangers sign between Hemed and Toché. Hemed hasn't had the best of careers so far statistic wise, with only 30 goals in the career so far. However last season was his most profilic when he scored 15 goals in 22 games for Haifa.

Hemed would come in on a free transfer should McCoist decide to sign him, and it is believed McCoist has sent Ian Durrant to watch him in this weeks internationals.



Finally we have Emílson Cribari of Napoli. The 31 year old Brazilian centre back has had a relatively successful career so far, playing his whole career in Italy for Empoli, Udinese, Lazio, Siena and Napoli. Cribari rose to fame in Italy with Lazio after a €5m move from Udinese, whom he signed for from Empoli without really shining greatly. At Lazio however, Cribari shone, earning himself a reputation as a quality and uncompromising defender.

Cribari has so far been unsuccessful at Napoli since signing for them in August 2010 playing only 6 times. Cribari would come in to Ibrox as a replacement for either Madjid Bougherra or David Weir.

Wednesday 1 June 2011

Reasons For The Blog

Well firstly, hello to the readers. Secondly, this blog is to give background information on youth players at Rangers, players we may be signing, features on first team players and possibly even players in the Rangers ladies team.