AUGUST 1999

Saturday 28th August 1999

Rangers chairman David Murray has reiterated his determination to stamp out sectarian chanting at Ibrox. Murray has become increasingly concerned by anti-Catholic chanting at televised games against Motherwell and Parma. And in light of the highly-embarrassing departure of vice-chairman Donald Findlay after he was caught on camera singing sectarian songs at the end of season party in May, Ibrox officials are keen to put an end of the stigma which has sadly attached itself to the club. Murray said: "We have already spoken to the representatives of the Rangers Supporters Association and supporters' clubs during the summer and now we will redouble our efforts. It is something we must make every effort to stamp out." Marco Negri has pulled out of his 2 month loan deal with Sporting Lisbon. Sporting chairman Paulo Abreu said, 'We are extremely annoyed about this situation because I spoke to Negri and his representative on more than 20 occasions by telephone and in person twice. It was perfectly clear that there was to be an eight-week trial period and everything had been agreed with Rangers. But after two days in Lisbon he upped and left and went back to Glasgow saying he would not go on trial.'

Friday 27th August 1999

Amoruso will be available for the first match in the Champions League after UEFA announced that players would be suspended for 1 game only after their third yellow card. Club captain Amoruso said: "I thought that I was out of the first game and I was upset because it has been my ambition to take part in the Champions' League. Now, I have been cleared to do that." Advocaat has a few injury worries ahead of tomorrw's league game with Hibernian at EasterRoad that will require him to re-shuffle a little. "Porrini is out and Rod Wallace is injured, so Adamczuk will play in place of Porrini and I will have to change things up front. But good news arrived with the return of Andrei Kanchelskis to the squad. Kanchelskis is involved again so either he or JJ will play. I will take a decision tomorrow."

Thursday 26th August 1999

Rangers face a tough group in the Champions' League after being against Dick Advocaat's former club PSV Eindhoven. Also in the group are last year's runners up Bayern Munich and Spanish side Valencia. Fans can be sure there will be a feast of European football at Ibrox. However Rangers start the campaign in Spain against Valencia on the 15th of September. And Dick Advocaat recognised that it will be a tough task for Rangers to qualify. "Apart from group B I think Rangers group if one of the most difficult. However group F could be very interesting as all the teams are capable of getting results against each. Apart from being the first seed in the group Bayern Munich will be favourites because only a few months ago they were within a couple of minutes of becoming European Champions when they lost two very late goals to Man United. Rangers have had to play very well to reach this section and we will go into the Champions League looking forward to the challenge." Rangers have been paired with last year's European Cup finalists Bayern Munchen, Dick Advocaat's old club PSV Eindhoven and Spain's Valencia in Group F of the Champions League. Rangers have played all the teams before in European Competition before, details below. Season Competition Team Home F-A Away F-A Agg F-A 1966/67 CWC Final Bayern Munchen 0-1 (After extra time) 1971/72 UEFA 1st Rnd Bayern Munchen 1-1 0-1 1-2 1971/72 CWC Semi Bayern Munchen 2-0 1-1 3-1 1989/90 E.C. 1st Rnd Bayern Munchen 1-3 0-0 1-3   1978/79 E.C. 2nd Rnd PSV Eindhoven 0-0 3-2 3-2   1979/80 Valencia CWC 2nd Rnd 1-3 1-1 2-4 Full draw For the UEFA Champions League (UK clubs in bold): Group A Group B Group C Group D 1) Lazio 2) Bayer Leverkusen 3) Dynamo Kiev 4) NK Maribor 1) Barcelona 2) Fiorentina 3) Arsenal 4) AIK Stockholm 1) Borussia Dortmund 2) Feyenoord 3) Rosenborg 4) Boavista 1) Manchester Utd 2) Marseille 3) Croatia Zagreb 4) Sturm Graz   Group E Group F Group G Group H 1) Real Madrid 2) Porto 3) Olympiakos 4) Molde 1) Bayern Munchen 2) PSV Eindhoven 3) Valencia 4) Rangers 1) Spartak Moscow 2) Bodeaux 3) Sparta Prague 4) Willem II 1) AC Milan 2) Chelsea 3) Galatasaray 4) Hertha Berlin

Wednesday 25th August 1999

The draw for the Champions League takes place tomorrow. See the UEFA site for details of the complex draw. Rangers claimed their place in the Champions League despite losing 1-0 in Parma. The 2 goals in the first leg were enough to secure a 2-1 aggegrate win.Advocaat made one change from Saturday's team with Adamczuk replacing McCann and switching to a 3-5-2 with Porrini, Amoruso and Moore in defence. After a slightly shaky start Rangers settled down and the Italians only had 3 or 4 good chances in the first half, 2 of which Charbonnier saved superbly. Rangers were not seen as an attacking force for most of the game, but Buffon made a good save from a Wallace header and Vidmar hit the post. As the second half wore on Parma began to show signs of frustration, as well as the home crowd becoming unsettled, and were limited to long range shots as the Rangers rearguard from a thin blue line along the box. Parma goal came in the 68 minute when a Walem freekick squirmed under Charbonnier into the bottom corner. For the next 20 minutes Parma went all out for a second with out making many clear cut chances, Ortega went closest, when his seemingly goalward shot was blocked by his team-mate Crespo. Overall a very good defensive display, which should answer the critics of the defence, with the only down-side being that Amoruso will miss the first Champions League game through suspension after picking up his second booking to the competition. Team : Charbonnier - Porrini, Amoruso, Moore - Adamczuk (Hendry 82), Reyna, B.Ferguson (Albertz 72), van Bronckhorst, Vidmar - Mols, Wallace (McCann 60) Unused Subs : Niemi, Johansson, Amato, I.Ferguson Dick Advocaat claimed he's never managed a side that has lost a two goal advantage in Europe and is not ready to lose to Parma tonight. So the omens look good for Rangers, especially as Porrini and Moore have recovered from injury. Lionel Charbonnier is the one change that most supporters are concerned about as he hasn't had a lot of match practice recently, but Advocaat isn't greatly concerned about him. He said from Italy last night: "It will be a very intimidating game and they have a lot of players with international experience. It will be similar to a match against Celtic and we have to be able to handle the physical side of things. Perhaps Parma will be sharper than they were two weeks ago, but I would like to think we will be as well. We have to be positive and no, we shouldn't lose a 2-0 lead. Hopefully we can get an early goal." The Dutch coach said his players were also representing Scotland, although certain supporters will be hoping for an Italian reversal. He added: "We have to stay calm and keep our concentration if we want to complete the job. The players are aware of that and the importance of the game. They know what a victory means, not just for Rangers but for Scottish football as well." Derek McInnes has agreed terms with Sheffield United - but they can't pay Rangers the agreed fee. £500,000 is the bargain basement payment required for the 28-year-old midfielder who hasn't figured at all since the arrival of Dick Advocaat except for an appearance against Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final last season. He's agreed terms but at the moment the deal is on hold until United come up with a payment package that suits Rangers, who are not being hard to deal with. Tonight's game with Parma will once again have a live commentary via the official website. Programme starts at 7.45pm with kick-off at 8.05pm. The game is also being shown Live on Channel 5.

Tuesday 24th August 1999

Dick Advocaat has told his boss David Murray he's wrong to say the Champions League takes top billing over the League. Chairman David Murray said at the weekend that as far as he's concerned, winning the Premier League is now not nearly as important as doing well in Europe, but speaking on his arrival in Italy with Rangers for Wednesday night's match with Parma, the Dutch coach took time out to admit he was about to give the media a huge stony by disagreeing with his boss. He said: "I have to disagree with the chairman. How else are we going to qualify for the Champions League if we are not the champions?" But Advocaat went quiet when one brave pressman suggested he could do that by winning the European Cup. He added: "The important thing is for us to complete the job over Parma. We know Parma are an excellent side and they are sure to come at us straight from the kick-off. But we are a much better team than we were last season. Our football is much more controlled. I have been involved in big games before as manager of Holland and at club level, but if you look at what a victory would do for a club like Rangers and for Scottish football as a whole this match is the most important for me" Craig Moore and Claudio Reyna WILL play against Parma tomorrow despite both having knocks. The one doubt for the Glasgow side is Italian defender Sergio Porrini who travelled with the squad but had to have an x-ray on a damaged ankle on Saturday night. Dariusz Adamcuk is on standby. Marco Negri has went to Sporting Lisbon on a 6 week loan deal with a view to a permanent transfer. The clubs have already agreed a fee, thought to be around £2.5 million, for the player if the deal goes through. Real Zaragozav are interested in Gabriel Amato and are prepared to offer £3 million for the player.

Sunday 22nd August 1999

The prospect of two Old Firm clashes in the space of four November days is emerging as European clashes raise the need to re-arrange fixtures. With Celtic - barring a miracle of collossal standards - already through to the next round of the UEFA Cup and Rangers on course to earn a Champions' League spot, the game between the two sides on September 18 will have to be postponed to accommodate European fixtures. And with the next vacant midweek slot being November 10, there is the prospect of the sides meeting twice in succession, with a game already arranged for four days earlier. Although Rangers believe this scenario is only 'hypothetical,' the club's secretary director did admit there is a strong possibility that this becomes reality owing to the select number of alternative dates available. Rangers have been drawn against Dunfermline at Ibrox in the 3rd round of the CIS League Cup. The tie will be played on October 12th or 13th. League Cup 3rd Round St Johnstone v Dundee Utd Inverness C. Thistle v Motherwell Aberdeen v Falkirk Alloa v Dundee Kilmarnock v Hibernian Ayr v Celtic Rangers v Dunfermline East Fife v Hearts

Saturday 21st August 1999

Rangers warmed up for their midweek Champions' League clash against Parma in Italy with an emphatic 4-1 win over Dundee United at Ibrox. Claudio Reyna opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a beautiful free-kick and Giovanni van Bronckhorst extended the home side's lead after the interval. Rod Wallace's header on the hour put the result beyond doubt and the Gers wrapped up the victory in style with a Tony Vidmar strike in the 75th minute. Jason de Vos grabbed a late consolation goal for United.

Friday 20th August 1999

Michael Mols will be available for the match in Parma. Despite press reports that his wife was expecting their first child on Monday and that Mols would stay in Glasgow to be with her, the child is in fact due a week on Wednesday. Michael Mols says he'd rather stay at home with his wife for the birth of his first child rather than face Parma.As we revealed at the weekend, the player is genuinely concerned about the forthcoming birth with his wife travelling from Holland to make sure he is at the birth. But all is not lost of course, with the possibility of the arrival on Monday as scheduled, David Murray will whisk the player to Italy on his jet. But if there is any delay, the player has made it clear he will stay with his wife until after the birth. Colin Hendry is drafted back into the Rangers squad for tomorrow's visit of Dundee United. And skipper Lorenzo Amaruso is the player that may not be risked. Hendry lined up alongside Aussie Craig Moore in a full scale practice match and may start the game ahead of the Ibrox side's trip to Parma on Monday. But it's doubtful coach Dick Advocaat will risk Dutch defender Arthur Numan on Saturday. He's back in full training but Tony Vidmar will continue. Derek McInnes is set for transfer talks with Sheffield United after the club accepted a £500,000 bid for him. And this time, if personal terms are met, and they are certain to be, the player could leave early next week. As far as he's concerned, he'd rather stay at Ibrox, but just one game from the start last season tells him there's no real place for him other than a bit part, and if the Yorkshire club match his £5000 a week salary, then he'll reluctantly go. Rangers and Celtic have been forced to cancel plans for a joint Old Firm shop in Glasgow Airport, due to the high rent costs.

Thursday 19th August 1999

Arthur Numan is back in full training and could play against Dundee United on Saturday. And that would be the perfect boost for the club defensively as he's a step ahead of first-leg goal hero Tony Vidmar in that department. Add to that the possible return of Colin Hendry and Rangers are preparing for the trip to Parma next week in a positive fashion.There's no further news on skipper Lorenzo Amaruso or whether he'll be risked against United who's coach Paul Sturrock is sporting a close-season beard that he's refusing to shave off until his side lose a game. David Murray said this time he would prefer a run in Europe as opposed to another league victory.And that probably echoes the views of a number of rangers supporters who, after winning ten of the last eleven titles, want to see the team move forward in the top competition, The Champions' League.Murray admitted: "I believe Europe is more important than the championship this season. We've won the league many times but we haven't achieved success in the Champions League and I believe if we can get over this difficult hurdle we'll have a chance to relax and get further success."

Wednesday 18th August 1999

Parma are reporting a lack of interest for the Champions' League match against Rangers as just 15,000 tickets have been sold. And since their stadium can accommodate over 30,000, that come as a surprise to the Italian side, who have taken a fair bit of stick from their media who slammed their first-leg performance in Glasgow. The interest in the match as far as television is concerned is huge, however, with Channel 5 snapping up live rights to the match for around £200,000. Colin Hendry could make a shock return to league action against Dundee United, as Lorenzo Amoruso is a major doubt.The player lined up alongside Craig Moore in a full scale practice match yesterday, and proved he is fully fit again. But being fully fit for a closed-door game and being fit to face Parma are two different things, and with that in mind, coach Dick Advocaat may take the chance of playing him against Paul Sturrock's Dundee United on Saturday at Ibrox in a bid to get him fitter for the possibility he may have to face the Italians next Wednesday. Scott Wilson, as always, will be on standby should things not pan out the way the player and the club want.

Tuesday 17th August 1999

Aberdeen have failed in a second bid to sign a Rangers' tough tackling midfielder Ian Ferguson. But cash on this occasion had nothing to do with the proposed move. Derek McInnes had rejected a move north when Aberdeen refused to meet his personal terms of £5000 a week, with Stewart Milne claiming he wasn't worth that amount. But according to morning reports, this time Rangers refused the Dons permission to speak with Ferguson, claiming he was a vital part of Dick Advocaat's team this season. And anyway, it's believed Ferguson would not want to play for Aberdeen, preferring a move south if he had to leave Ibrox. Michael Mols is facing a dilema when his wife is set to give birth on the day he's due to travel to Italy to face Parma. And that's a situation that is causing the Rangers star a few problems. He's already put his international career in jeopardy refusing to play for Holland against Brazil as he was getting married, but he'll find Rangers an all-together different proposition if he decides to stay and be with his missus. And anyway, Rangers will be more concerned with midfield and defence as opposed to getting an all-important away goal, and Gabriel Amato is an adequate replacement if required. But it's expected he will make the trip.

Monday 16th August 1999

Michael Mols shrugged off the latest snub by Dutch boss Frank Rijkaard to ignore his claim for an international cap. And added his luck was in so much he intends buying a lottery ticket with a number 4 included on Wednesday. The withdrawal at the weekend of Arsenal's Denis ergkamp should have meant a game for the Rangers star, but instead, Holland called up former Celt Pierre van Hooijdonk instead. Unperturbed, Mols was buoyant, saying: "It wasn't bad, was it? But I do not think every day will be like today. We had so many chances and I scored only four goals, then gave one away which is not so good. We had great chances in the first half and scored only two but those made us feel great at the break. I was lucky today as most of the chances I got went in. Now I am going to buy a lottery ticket." Speaking about the Dutch situation, he responded: "I was a little bit disappointed because Frank told me to miss the friendlies against Brazil in the summer because I was getting married. He assured me that I would be picked for the next game - and this is it." Dick Advocaat lashed his defence for losing a late goal - and added Mols should have had seven. He is of course a hard taskmaster, but maybe even he's expecting too much from his players? But no, according to the Dutchman, he wants bigger and better performances from all of his players. He said: "I am angry about the goal against us because there was no reason for that. Another week, another game, it will punish you. We also had some moments in the game where we gave too much space in the midfield for Motherwell." Speaking about Mols contribution, Advocaat claimed he had to adjust his positioning in the opening 25 minutes when he said he played too far right, and added he should have got at least seven goals because of the chances that were created for him. Rangers have denied they offered Ian Ferguson as part exchange for Hearts defender Paul Ritchie. The speculation surrounding the future of the Scotland international had seemed to have died down as this latest story emerged, but Rangers coach Dick Advocaat was quick to dismiss the suggestion, and anyway, the Rangers midfielder has made it clear he would prefer a move south rather than play against his current side, but his intention is to stay at Ibrox as long as he's wanted but the club.

Friday 13th August 1999

Stefan Klos may miss the return leg against Parma as he has damaged knee ligaments. The German number one played the entire second half the other night against the Italians having suffered the problem late in the first period, but decided to play on through the pain barrier. If his injury doesn't clear up, then Frenchman Lionel Charbonnier will be risked despite him not having player a competitive match for many months, and his recall will be against Motherwell in the live Sky TV match on Sunday evening at Ibrox. Tickets are still available for that game. Skipper Lorenzo Amoruso promised he will keep his hands to himself with no more surprise penalties next week. The player still can't believe he handled inside the box for no reason in last season's 3-1 defeat in Italy against Parma, but said this time around there will be no repeat of that accident. And he confidently predicted Rangers would score a goal in Italy and manage at the very least a draw which of course would mean a very lucrative cash spinning place in the Champions League proper. But every player knows just how difficult it will be, despite chairman David Murray claiming this morning Wednesday's win was his best ever result in Europe.

Thursday 12th August 1999

Dick Advocaat watched his side over-run UEFA Cup holders Parma at Ibrox and then said his players can do better in Italy. Rangers took the game to Parma and walked away with a memorable 2-0 victory but Advocaat insists that the job is not yet done. He said: "It is only half the tie and it will still be very difficult in Italy because they will get some experienced players back from injury. We showed tonight we have improved as a team in the past year, but still we have some players who have to do better as in the second half we gave too much space away and there was no need for that. We played an excellent game but still we had some players who did not bring the performance they can bring to the team, and maybe that was due to the quality of Parma even though we controlled the game for most of the match." Advocaat is also aware that his side could have had an even bigger advantage to take to Italy. He added: "They left one striker up-front waiting for the one chance, but we defended quite well and at the end could have scored a third goal with two good chances in the final minutes. But before the game if you had said it would finish 2-0 to Rangers I would have taken that. We have to take into account they played with ten men but I am pleased with how we coped against an experienced team." The Italian media have launched a blistering attack on Serie A side Parma following their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Rangers. Parma crumbled after Fabio Cannavaro was sent off. The Sports papers in Italy laid into Parma coach Alberto Malesani and his side the morning after the game. "Cannavaro sent off. It's a landslide", ran the headline in the Gazzeta dello Sport. "Rangers unleashed themselves and Parma got an attack of the shakes," continued the article. "A big task now lies ahead of Parma in the second game and a lot of hard work will be needed if they are to go forward." Corrier della Sera blamed Malesani for his tactical decisions after Cannavaro's dismissal in the 26th minute. "Why did the coach wait 12 minutes before replacing Ortega, who was terrible, with Torrisi? Parma now face an uphill task in Europe and could miss out on the very rich stage of the competition." The abuse continued with La Republica also claiming Malesani's men face a tough task in the second leg in two weeks time. "Parma, a team who play in yellow, now have the blues. Their Champions' League campaign risks finishing before it has begun. "The absence of players like Amoroso, Crespo and Lassissi does not justify the team's failing last night. Malesani's side must improve in the return game if they are to over-turn a 2-0 deficit." Claudio Reyna, who continued his stunning early season form with a man of the match performance against Parma, has hailed Rangers fans as the best he's ever seen. Reyna's 4th goal in 3 games sealed a 2-0 victory but he says the scoreline was as much down to the Ibrox crowd as it was the players. He said: "There's no doubt what made it easier for us was the incredible support we got from the crowd, they were unbelievable. They gave me goosebumps even when I was in the tunnel, and I think they put Parma off their stride. I've never known fans to get so involved in a game. They lived every kick of the ball, every minute of the action. They were definitely our 12th man and we couldn't have done it without them." Rangers friendly with Sparta Rotterdam, due to be played on 29th August, has been cancelled. Work on Sparta's new stadium has been delayed and will not be ready on time. It is not known whether the match will be rescheduled.

Wednesday 11th August 1999

Tonight's game with Parma will once again have a live commentary via the official website. Programme starts at 7.45pm with kick-off at 8.05pm. Claudio Reyna faces a battle to get fit for tonight's crunch Champions' League qualifying tie against Parma. Yhe recent form of the American midfielder has been impressive, and will be crucial for Dick Advocaat as he needs to have his side at full strength to match the highly rated and very expensive Italians. Reyna has had a recurrence of the knock that forced him to miss the match against FC Haka at Ibrox and hasn't trained this week. The club doctor will no doubt be called this morning to see if he can play, if not Ian Ferguson stands by. Meanwhile, Rangers will be boosted tonight by the availability of Neil McCann and Giovanni von Bronkhorst, who are both fit and able to play. Parma will be without French defender Faliou Lassissi and have several other injury problems as they prepare to face Rangers at Ibrox. Lassissi has a sore throat and high temperature and strikers Marcio Amoroso and Hernan Crespo are both sidelined. Mario Stanic and Diego Fuser are also struggling to make the match. The first Old Firm game of the season is in doubt if Rangers beat Parma tonight and progress to the Champions' League, causing a fixture pile-up. Celtic must also defeat Cwmbran for this scenario to happen. However, as as the first Old Firm match of the season is scheduled for September 18, and as Celtic would be in UEFA action two days previously, and Rangers in Champions League action on Tuesday September 21, then it's easy to see why both clubs would want to postpone. The SPL have confirmed that should both clubs reach the next stage of their particular tournament, then another date would have to be found. If the clubs can't agree a suitable date, the SPL would fix one.

Tuesday 10th August 1999

West Ham are set to ask Rangers if they'll allow Colin Hendry to join them on loan for three months. And that's despite the player not yet being fully fit. In a bizarre statement from The Hammers boss Harry Redknapp, he complained about his defensive injuries, admitted his interest in the Scotland star, but added he couldn't yet afford the £3 million or so Rangers would certainly demand for his services. But always the schemer, Redknapp hinted he would be asking the Ibrox club about a possible three-month loan with a view to making the signing permanent. But Hendry, who still doesn't train with the first team squad, just the physio's, would insist on any move being permanent, and anyway, he doesn't want to leave the club. Parma have suffered another fitness blow ahead of their Champions League qualifier against Rangers at Ibrox tomorrow. The UEFA Cup holders arrived in Glasgow without influential French defender Faliou Lassissi.The former Sampdoria star has remained at home on advice from the club doctor to nurse a sore throat and high temperature.Lassissi is expected to be replaced by Luigi Sartor for this third qualifying round first leg match.Parma, who also picked up the Italian Cup last season and finished fourth in Serie A, already have a number of injury problems.Strikers Marcio Amoroso and Hernan Crespo are both sidelined while Mario Stanic and Diego Fuser are also struggling to make the match.

Monday 9th August 1999

Rangers are considering a swap deal - plus cash - for Sunderland's Scotland international winger Allan Johnston. The former Hearts star is still training on his own after refusing to sign an extension to his remaining 11-months deal, and weekend reports are linking defender Scott Wilson with a possible player plus £1million cash deal. Wilson's agent John Viola also represents midfielder Charlie Miller, and he said: "There are several sides interested in Scott and Charlie, including Sunderland."

Friday 6th August 1999

Rangers have problems defensively for Saturday's trip to Hearts, with both Arthur Numan and Dariusz Adamcuk doubtful. But American Claudio Reyna is set to return at the expense of Jorg Albertz who may have to settle for a place on the bench again. Former Hearts winger Neil McCann returns in a bid to get him fit for the visit of Parma to Ibrox on Wednesday night, and Dick Advocaat is sure to play Michael Mols once again despite him being substituted against Haka on Wednesday evening. Sergio Porrini and Tony Vidmar stand by to replace the injured defensive pair. Hearts will be unchanged from the side that defeated St Johnstone last Saturday.

Thursday 5th August 1999

Arthur Numan will miss Saturday's trip to Tynecastle and may also miss the first leg against Parma next Wednesday. The Dutch defender was replaced last night by Aussie Tony Vidmar towards the end of the first half against FC Haka as Rangers cruised into the third qualifying leg against the Italian giants, but Numan went straight to the physio for treatment to what appeared to be a hamstring problem. And that will cause the Dutch coach some problems as Numan has been outstanding in recent matches and his partnership with Neil McCann a potential threat to any side in Europe. Aberdeen's plans to sign Rangers midfielder Derek McInnes have been rejected after the club refused to meet his personal demands. The Ibrox side had agreed a fee of around £450,000 for the player who only featured in one match for Rangers last season, against Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final. The news will come as a blow to the Dons, who were hoping to have the midfielder in their squad before the weekend.

Wednesday 4th August 1999

A number of players will miss tonight's match against FC Haka, including Saturday's hero Claudio Reyna. The American midfielder took a slight knock against Kilmarnock on Saturday and will be replaced by Ian Ferguson. Michael Mols will also miss out, with Jonatan Johansson replacing him alongside Rod Wallace. Neil McCann is set to remain on the sidelines as the match against Hearts at Tynecastle is higher on his list of priorities. Craig Moore will continue his place in the centre of the defence as coach Advocaat considers his actions on Saturday by taking him off as a bit harsh. Aberdeen are reported to have offered £400,000 for out of favour midfielder Derek McInnes. It is thought the Rangers will accept the offer and that it is down to the player to decide if the move goes through.

Tuesday 3rd August 1999

Following the success of the webcast of Ian Ferguson's testimional tomorrow's game with FC Haka will be have a live online audio broadcast via the official website. Tom Millar and Gerry Harte once again provide the commentary.

Sunday 1st August 1999

Rangers manager Dick Advocaat tonight admitted he could be forced into a defensive rethink which may yet create an Ibrox future for unsettled Scotland international Colin Hendry. The Scottish Premier League champions launched their title defence with a below-par 2-1 home win over Kilmarnock with an overall slackness which angered Advocaat.Rod Wallace put Rangers ahead after 39 minutes, but a Craig Moore error allowed Ally Mitchell to level on 65 minutes prompting Advocaat to at once withdraw the Australian centre-half. His anger was eased when Claudio Reyna restored Rangers' advantage four minutes later, but the Dutchman was still upset at his team's woeful display. He said: "It wasn't only the defence I'm not happy with. I thought Claudio did very well but he was the only one in my opinion who did as all the others were not in their best form. The most important thing if you play badly is to still get the three points and we did that. But the way we played was not impressive and we have to improve on that."