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Tuesday 26th February 2002

Partick or Inverness in the Cup Rangers will face either Partick Thistle or Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final at Hampden on Sunday March 24th. Partick and Inverness meet next Wednesday in their Quarter-Final replay.

Sunday 24th February 2002

McLeish happy with cup win A Billy Dodds hat-trick helped Rangers brush past the part-timers from the Second Division, with Shota Arveladze netting a brace before the break and Andrei Kanchelskis firing in the other. It had been a rare start for Dodds, who had been banished for months under Dick Advocaat. McLeish said: "Billy Dodds worked very hard and regardless of the game we were always considering playing him. This was the type of match where his attitude and work-rate were important." Dodds, who also won and then missed a penalty, scored in the first and last minutes and that early goal had ensured there would be no repeat of the 0-0 draw at Berwick, although Forfar did come close to an equaliser before Arveladze struck. McLeish said: "It was a good start and we had spoken prior to the game about the important of getting off to a good start. We showed that attacking-wise with Billy Dodds and the strikers chasing people. After that we were a bit sloppy and thought we could score as many as we wanted. Forfar gave us a couple of reminders and showed that we had to respect them. Once we went 2-0 up I think they caused us very few problems."

Wednesday 20th February 2002

McLeish stays quiet over injury doubts Boss Alex McLeish wants to keep Feyenoord guessing over the fitness of Tore Andre Flo and Ronald de Boer ahead of the Uefa Cup clash at Ibrox. De Boer missed Saturday's game against Hibs and Flo has a stomach bug but McLeish was giving nothing away. He said: "I'm sure Feyenoord will be scrutinising every word to get information, just as we're doing as regards their camp." Although McLeish is staying quiet on his final eleven he believes his team have nothing to be afraid of as they prepare to face Feyenoord in the Uefa Cup fourth round. Although he concedes there is no room for complacency, McLeish insists that the in-form Ibrox outfit should be more than a match for the Dutch side. He said: "The teams are similar in strength and the game should go right to the wire over the two legs."

Sunday 17th February 2002

Ready for Feyenoord Lorenzo Amoruso reckons Rangers are ready for the fast-approaching Euro date that could turn out to be the most significant fixture of the season. The Ibrox outfit take on Feyenoord on Thursday night in the first leg of their UEFA Cup fourth round clash. A quarter-final date with either Leeds or PSV Eindhoven awaits the winners and it is the first time since 1993 that Rangers have been in European action after Christmas. Rangers will take a 20-match unbeaten run into that game, 15 of which have been achieved under Alex McLeish, whose side had little difficulty beating Motherwell at Ibrox on Saturday. Amoruso said: "It was important for us to put in a good performance. We created many chances - too many probably because we could have scored at least five or six goals - but it was important for us to get sharp after a week of training and a few days rest. Some players were rested for this game but apart from Craig Moore, who has a serious injury, I think everyone will be available. We are looking forward to this game. Probably it will be the most important game of the season because if we can go to Rotterdam with a good result then getting to the quarter-final would be a great achievement for this club. Our chances are 50-50 of course but I have to say that so far we have been playing quite well. We know that Feyenoord have got a lot of threat up front but I think we are capable of handling that. We have already showed this season we can play against the top teams in Europe and beat them if we concentrate and are strong in every department. We did it against Celtic too. It was an excellent game from both sides I have to say, especially because it went on for 120 minutes. So if we go on to the pitch on Thursday with the same commitment and the same aggressive attitude I think we can beat them and go forward." A clean sheet on Thursday would also give Rangers a big advantage going into the second leg in Rotterdam seven days afterwards. He said: "That is one of the keys to this round of the UEFA Cup. We had one against Paris St Germain although Dynamo Moscow scored one at the end. It's important when it is two legs to win but not lose a goal, or losing just one if you score three or four, is more important. "It will be important for us to be very solid at the back and when we get chances grab them. It's up to all the team to work together and make things difficult for Feyenoord." Flo acknowledges Fulham interest Tore Andre Flo has admitted he is aware Fulham are keen to bring him back to London. The Norwegian became the Scottish game's most expensive player when he joined Rangers from Chelsea in a £12million move last season. But despite having scored 22 goals in 35 games this season, including one at home to Motherwell on Saturday, his time in Glasgow has not widely been regarded as a success. Flo, whose family have found it hard to settle in Scotland and are now spending time in London, has been linked with Fulham for a number of months, with manager Jean Tigana keen to sign a tall frontman. Flo said : "I know Fulham want me but I believe there is still a bit of distance to go before any move is done." Flo has not been an automatic choice under Alex McLeish and started on the bench in the 2-1 victory over Celtic earlier in the month. But Rangers would want to recoup a huge slice of that £12million fee and would also be reluctant to sell while they are still in Europe.

Saturday 16th February 2002

Motherwell team news Rangers' internationals have come through their midweek games unscathed and are available for the home clash with Motherwell today. Tony Vidmar is available again but Ibrox boss Alex McLeish admits he does have a couple of knocks to contend with elsewhere in the squad. McLeish is still without long-term casualties Michael Ball, Craig Moore and Christian Nerlinger, the latter of which is back in training but will not be ready for another month.

Thursday 14th February 2002

No deal for Mario Rangers have decided not to sign French trialist Mario Espartero.The 24-year-old Metz star was told by Rangers gaffer Alex McLeish this morning that his services would not be required at Ibrox. Espartero wanted a permanent move to Rangers, but McLeish was only willing to take him on loan until the end of the season before deciding on a £1.5million deal. The Frenchman trained only once with the top team squad - at Murray Park yesterday - and also took part in a closed-door match, but he has now left Scotland and will try his luck elsewhere. McLeish confirmed on Rangers club website, rangers.co.uk: "A loan was the road we wanted to go down but it seems that he is looking for a permanent deal. We are not in a position to do that, so he will now look elsewhere."

Monday 11th February 2002

Mario on trial Alex McLeish has confirmed that Metz midfielder Mario Espartero is on a three-day trial at Ibrox this week. The 24-year-old Frenchman has fallen out of favour at Metz after a dispute with coach Gilbert Gress. McLeish said: "He will be with us for three days when we will make an assessment of him and then decide if anything can be done. He is certainly the type of player we are looking for but we will wait and see. The European deadline has now passed but I had said before that we would continue to look to strengthen because we have so much to play for on the domestic front." Espartero, also coveted by Blackburn Rovers, is the combative player the club are looking for although he was involved in an on-field punch-up with former Chelsea defender Franck Lebouef in a match with Marseille earlier this season when both players were sent off. Thursday 7th February 2002 Amo named Player of the Month Lorenzo Amoruso today capped a memorable January when he was named Bank of Scotland Player of the Month. And the big Italian immediately dedicated the award to the new found Rangers dressing room spirit. Amoruso - who declared he will be fit to face Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday after picking up a horror stud injury in the epic 2-1 CIS Cup semi-final win over Celtic on Tuesday - smiled: "This award is great for me personally. But I dedicate it to my team-mates and the great spirit, which you can see coming back into the dressing room. January was not only good for me, but it was good for Rangers and we have really got going again. I haven't been doing any running over the past two days. I had five stitches in the wound, and it is quite sore, but I am planning to start running tomorrow and I am confident I'll be ready for Hearts." McLeish looking for defensive cover Ibrox boss Alex McLeish has admitted that he is ilooking to bringing in a defender on a loan deal after a hamstring tear ruled out Australia international Craig Moore for a month. With Moore definitely out and Lorenzo Amoruso and Tony Vidmar also nursing injuries, McLeish is short of options. McLeish is already without reserve Scott Wilson and confirmed that he has looking to borrow an experienced player as soon as possible. One name linked already is Viking Stavanger's Finnish defender Hannu Tihinen. McLeish said: : "I have to think about a loan deal. It would only take another casualty to have a real effect on us. Tihinen has come to my attention in the past. I would need to find out how match fit he is as Viking are on their winter break." Wednesday 6th February 2002 McLeish's post match comments Alex McLeish has admitted he would love to play his former club Hibernian in the CIS Insurance Cup final after his new charges defeated Celtic in an epic semi-final. Bert Konterman's extra-time strike proved to be the Hampden Park winner after Bobo Balde had cancelled out Peter Lovenkrands' opener and Shota Arveladze went on to miss a penalty with the score at 1-1. McLeish will discover on Wednesday who his team will play in the final when Ayr and Hibernian contest the second semi. McLeish's decampment from Easter Road to Ibrox earlier in the season had been a controversial one but he insisted: "The sympathetic side of me says I would like Hibs in the final." The result ended a Celtic run of five straight victories over Rangers and it had been McLeish's Old Firm debut. He added: "The players were fantastic tonight. They did the jersey proud and I think the supporters appreciated it. Obviously the victory was of paramount importance. The supporters saw a wonderful team spirit and commitment tonight. It was an end-to-end game. Celtic had chances, we had chances and it was an even game. We deserved the breaks to win. We just edged it.I was aware that a lot of people told me that we needed to take our chances because we have had chances in past games and have lost against Celtic. But we could afford to miss a penalty and win it tonight and that's going to do wonders for our mentality." Tuesday 5th February 2002 Bert seals semi-final win Bert Konterman's extra-time thunderbolt booked Rangers' CIS Cup final spot at the expense of their arch-rivals in a pulsating semi-final at Hampden. Peter Lovenkrands hooked Gers ahead on the stroke of half-time, but Bobo Balde scrambled the equaliser (74). Shota Arveladze then blazed over a penalty (77), but his blushes were spared as Konterman drilled the winner from 25 yards out on 105 minutes. If you have any comments or suggestions please contact me using the Feedback form or email me at webmaster@ayeready.com