JANUARY 1999

Friday 29th January 1999

Staale Stensaas has joined Premiership strugglers Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season.

Thursday 28th January 1999

Colin Hendry may require an operation on a groin injury. Hendry has been troubled with the injury for the last couple of weeks and flew to London to see a specialist. If an operation is needed he would be missing for around 4 weeks. German keeper Stefan Klos had another shutout against Dundee, but even that's not good enough for new German coach Erich Ribbeck who had earlier promised him his first cap against either Columbia or the USA next month. He's decided not to take the Rangers star, preferring to replace him with his understudy at Dortmund Jans Lehman as he reckons Klos hasn't played in enough games recently. Colin Hendry and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst will be available for Saturday's game at Aberdeen, if fit, after serving their suspension lastnight. Barry Ferguson is still suspended which should see Charlie Miller keep his place.

Wednesday 27th January 1999

Rangers are without the suspended trio of Colin Hendry, Barry Ferguson and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst for tonight's trip to Dundee.

Tuesday 26th January 1999

Alan McLaren has been awarded a benefit match by Rangers. McLaren was forced to retire 8 months ago with a knee injury. The game is hoped to be with either Arsenal or Walter Smith's Everton and McLaren wants to invite Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup to take part. SKY have chosen the Scottish Cup 4th round tie between St Mirren or Hamilton Accies against Rangers to be shown live. The game will be moved to Sunday 14th February with a 6.05 kick off.

Monday 25th January 1999

Staale Stensaas could follow Marco Negri out of Ibrox on loan, after being linked to a move to Nottingham Forest until the end of the season. Negri joined Serie A club Vicenza on loan until the end of the season with a possibility of a permanent move last week.

Sunday 24th January 1999

Rangers have been drawn to face either Hamilton Accies or St Mirren away in the 4th Round of the Scottish Cup. Rangers chairman David Murray today revealed he plans to divert £7million earmarked for upgrading Ibrox into building a training complex at manager Dick Advocaat's request. The Dutchman outlined to Murray his concern at Rangers' facilities during a trip to Holland and pointed to a planned development at Balgray in Glasgow's West End as being too small. Now Murray has put on hold his intention to increase Ibrox's capacity by 1,200 seats to set up a new state-of-the-art training complex. He said: "Dick told me the site at Balgray isn't suitable for what he wants. We will keep it, but only as a back-up. I would have been totally blind to ignore him. "It is ridiculous we don't have our own training ground and I hold my hands up and accept the blame for that. I freely admit it took a foreigner to come in and show the way. If we are to have any hopes of keeping Dick here we have to listen to what he says. We either go down this path or the road to destruction." Murray's decision means a club museum and new catering outlet, poised to be called 'The Blue Cafe', have also been "put on ice" as he emphasised youth development was his prime concern. "What we do need to do is rear our own youngsters at this club and in that regard I want us to learn from continental clubs," added Murray. "We need to take a change of direction on the playing front. Rangers need to make a serious statement about our pledge to grow our own talent."

Tuesday 19th January 1999

West Ham United hope to take Italian striker Marco Negri on loan until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent move. The Hammers are looking for a replacement for John Hartson who moved to Wimbledon and Negri has travelled to London for a trial. Both Arthur Numan and Jonas Thern have recovered from injury and should be ready to play a part in the championship run-in. Thern has been out for most of the season with a serious knee injury, while Numan has been in and out of the team with injuries. Iain Ferguson will have a scan on his injured ankle to try and determine the problem. Ferguson hasn't played since the Hearts game before Christmas when he suffered the injury.

Monday 18th January 1999

Rangers lost 5-4 on penalties to Atletico Mineiroin the inaugral MSM Cup, after the game finished 2-2. Rangers lost a 2 goal half time advantage as the Brazilians scored twice in a 9 minute spell after the break, Guivarc'h scored in the 36th and 43rd minute with Juninho and Cacapa scoring for Atletico. Jorg Albertz and Gabriel Amato each missed penalties, but Stefan Klos saved 2 forcing sudden death where Scott Wilson hit the bar. Rangers team: Klos, Vidmar, Hendry, Amoruso (Wilson 45), Stensaas (Van Bronckhorst 33), Miller (Feeney 73), Kanchelskis (Johansson 45), Albertz, Wallace (B.Ferguson 45), Guivarc'h (Amato 66), McCann Unused: Nicholson

Friday 15th January 1999

Rangers lost their practice match against the USA 1-0 in Florida last night. They started with only four of the team which appeared in their last League game against Celtic. The line-up at the Seminole County training complex in Sanford was: Niemi, Vidmar, Wilson, Amoruso, Stensaas, Nicholson, Johansson, Albertz, Amato, Miller, McCann. The USA, who included six of their World Cup team, scored through Eddie Lewis after 30 minutes. Lewis hit the target from six yards after blocking Scott Wilson's clearance. The game provided an opportunity for youngsters such as Barry Nicholson, who played in midfield and had a chance on goal when set up by Neil McCann. Irish starlet Lee Feeney also came in the 56th minute to replace Nicholson and did well. Theo Snelders played the second-half in the Rangers' goal. Rangers two other chances fell to Jonatan Johansson but he couldn't take advantage after getting clear. USA came close a second time from a cross by Cobi Jones, but Wilson cleared the danger. Manager Dick Advocaat said: "It was a good game and it was important for players who haven't been featuring recently to play 90 minutes. We wanted to win and so did the Americans. Both teams took the game seriously. We had a few chances to score on what was a difficult surface and that was pleasing."

Thursday 14th January 1999

Rangers will take on the USA national team on Thursday night in a match behind closed doors. The game, which kicks off at midnight British time, will be played at Rangers' training headquarters in Orlando, Florida.

Tuesday 12th January 1999

Coach Dick Advocaat admitted last night he is certainly interested in Dundee's Polish international Dariusz Adamczuk. But Advocaat indicated that he is not merely interested in big-money signings and is actively looking at the potential bargains afforded by the Bosman ruling. "We are looking at players who are out of contract at the end of the season and he is one of them," he admitted. "We are watching him as we are watching some others. If the time is right we may move for him but so far, nothing has happened. "We are allowed to speak with players in his situation, but you have to watch them a few times first. We have done that already with Adamczuk but so far we haven't taken a decision about him." Rangers take a squad of 26 players to Florida today as the current league leaders prepare to enjoy a week in warmer surroundings during the winter shutdown. Long-term injury victims Jonas Thern and Daniel Prodan are included in the party along with the likes of Gordon Durie, Stephane Guivarc'h and Artur Numan, who are all nearing full fitness again. None will be considered, however, for the one match Rangers will play on the trip against Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro in Miami's Orange Bowl on Sunday. Advocaat hinted he is likely to use the game to give some of his fringe players a chance, with 20-year-old Irish forward Lee Feeney - a recent bargain signing from Linfield - among those likely to benefit.

Sunday 10th January 1999

Rangers are ready to move in for Robbie Fowler if his contractual dispute with Liverpool isn't resolved. The Anfield striker has so far resisted attempts by the club to sign a new contract and they fear they might have to sell him before his contract expires at the end of next season. George Scott, the Glasgow-based agent who represents Fowler, is aware of Rangers' interest and they have continued to monitor the star's growing rift with his club. Rangers are prepared to meet Liverpool's valuation of around £10 million for the player if they decide to sell him before he's able to take advantage of the Bosman ruling in 18 months and walk away on a free transfer. Fears over Rangers manager Dick Advocaat's long-term commitment to the Ibrox club have been dismissed by chairman David Murray. The Dutchman is six months into a two year deal in Glasgow but suggested recently he did not want to discuss extending his contract for the moment. Murray said: "Dick and I shook hands on the job a year ago and I have no reason to believe he would want to leave. "There's no rush to get Dick to extend his contract," he stated Spanish cracks Celta Vigo have pulled out of a £3million move for Marco Negri. The Primera Liga outfit are running scared because they fear he could be the next Marko Viduka! The Italian striker last played for Rangers on April Fools' Day but the Spaniards were willing to splash out £3m up front and another £500,000 when Negri had played over 25 games. Now they've shelved their offer until they see how moody Marco behaves himself at Ibrox. Celta Vigo have told Rangers owner David Murray that they don't want to be stuck with a player who is suffering from psychological problems.

Friday 8th January 1999

Rangers have reportedly rejected a £2.5 million offer from Charlton for Finnish striker Jonatan Johansson. And that follows the player rejecting a move to Derby last month, who had offered and had accepted by Rangers, £1.5 million. The benefit to the international is a five-year deal as an extension to his Ibrox contract which he expects to sign on his return from Florida where he will train alongside the USA Women's team at their American facilities. Bob Brannan, Rangers chief executive, is leaving his post at Ibrox after just six short months. David Murray hailed his appointment at the time as one that takes the pressure off his shoulders and that he was a very capable man. That now appears to be not the case and fans are asking whether he was pushed or whether he left of his own accord. One of the major problems businessmen have with football clubs is they expect everyone Involved in their staff to be business minded. That is not the case at Ibrox, where everyone is Rangers minded with business second place. Football comes first and it looks like Brannan has trailed in the last place.

Thursday 7th January 1999

Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Barry Ferguson and Colin Hendry will miss the league match at Dundee on January 27th after collecting bookings against Celtic. French striker Stephane Guivarc'h, who damaged an ankle in the win over Dundee United last week, is returning to his native country for treatment to the injury critising the Rangers medical setup in the process. The 28-year-old member of the French World Cup winning squad said: "My preference is to see a doctor in France. I am happier with the treatment I will get at home rather than what I will receive in Scotland." Brian Laudrup has revealed that he could have rejoined Rangers after bringing a premature end to his career at Stamford Bridge. But the Danish striker admitted the sweeping changes at Rangers since his departure swayed him against a return. Instead, Laudrup opted to return home and sign for FC Copenhagen. "It was said that if I ever wanted to return then there would be interest," he said. "But many things have changed, and I think I left at the right time."

Tuesday 5th January 1999

Rangers, who still lead Celtic by 10 points and second-placed Kilmarnock by four, head for Florida on the 12th of January, but will play only one fixture on their eight-day tour of the United States. They meet Brazilian outfit Athletico Mineiro in the heat of the Orange Bowl Stadium in Miami, a prestige friendly they will gear up for from a training base in Fort Lauderdale.

Monday 4th January 1999

Rangers are making plans to set up their own television station in conjunction with the Mirror Group who own the Daily Record and Sunday Mail in Scotland. Rangers Television will provide matchday TV at Ibrox and relaunch the club's web-sites while also arranging screenings of away matches at Ibrox. Talks are also under way about developing a Rangers club show. As the rights become available the joint venture will start to use modern media opportunities for the club both in Britain and abroad. Dick Advocaat has paid tribute to his players' resolve in yesterday's 2-2 draw with Celtic: "When I started at this club there were many changes, too many changes needed, but we have done well in Europe, won the League Cup and are 10 points ahead of Celtic, four ahead of Kilmarnock. "I'm quite proud of the way we worked considering we have had 37 games in six months and a few players were looking jaded at the end and I understand that." Scottish Cup 3rd Round Draw: Queens Pk/C'din v Dundee Utd Greenock Morton v Dundee Ayr Utd v Kilmarnock Stranraer v East Stirling Falkirk v Huntly Keith/Brechin v Albion Rovers Hibernian v Montrose/Stirling Motherwell v Hearts Partick Thistle v Dunfermline St Johnstone v Forfar/East Fife Raith Rovers v Spartans/Clyde St Mirren v Hamilton Celtic v Airdrie Rangers v Whitehill/Stenhousemuir Clydebank v Q of South/Ross C Aberdeen v Livingston Ties to be played Saturday 23rd January 1999.

Friday 1st January 1999

Stephane Guivarc'h will miss Sunday's Old Firm match after being taken off during the game at Dundee Utd with an ankle injury, Jonatan Johansson is likely to replace him in the starting eleven. Colin Hendry is also likely to return after suspension replacing Scott Wilson. Finnish internationalist Jonatan Johansson has been offered an extension to his Ibrox contract. Dick Advocaat announced: "He has some time to go on his current contract but he has been speaking to the chairman. In fact, he talked to Mr Murray last Saturday about this matter. The new contract would keep him here until, I think, 2003, and obviously there is an improvement in his personal terms. "I want the player to stay on and the player has said he does not want to leave the club, so the details are all being worked out."