Home > Latest News > News Archive > July 2003

Wednesday, 30 July, 2003

3-0 win in Belfast Linfield put up a fine performance against Rangers but the Scottish treble winners won the pre-season friendly in Belfast thanks to goals from Ronald de Boer, Andy Dowie and Steven MacLean. Dutch star de Boer curled in a low shot a minute before half-time to put Rangers into the lead. Then rising star Dowie, one of a string of substitutes used in the second half, headed in from a corner with 20 minutes to go. MacLean, another young sub, added the third in injury-time. Rangers enjoy a huge following in Northern Ireland and their visit attracted a full house to Windsor Park. They were given a rapturous reception by the fans who were treated to a parade of the three trophies won by Rangers in 2002-03 during the interval. Linfield boss David Jeffrey will be satisfied with the performance of his side as they prepare for the Irish League season. Alan Mannus, Linfield's 20-year-old keeper was impressive, his saves including a first half penalty from Bob Malcolm. Linfield substitute Darren Murphy sustained a nasty cut on his head in a clash late in the game and played the last few minutes with his head heavily bandaged. In time added on, MacLean slotted in number three to wrap up a routine win for the Gers.

Sunday, 27 July, 2003

McLeish not down after loss Alex McLeish was not too downhearted with his makeshift side's performance in their 3-2 friendly defeat to Everton on Saturday. McLeish had been unable to pick a number of first team regulars through injury, with Barry Ferguson, Fernando Ricksen, Mikel Arteta and new signing Zura Khizanishvili all missing. He said: "It was a spirited performance with the players we had missing. Sometimes you think, 'Is this going to be too much for the lads who come in?' But I thought they showed up very well." Christian Nerlinger was given a rare start in midfield and Michael Ball, who McLeish wants to play at left back, completed 90 minutes at centre half in his first game at Ibrox since more than 18 months out with a knee injury. Ferguson, who had surgery on a hip problem as soon as last season finished, is set to make his comeback on Wednesday at Linfield. McLeish added: "The disappointing aspect was to lose the third goal the way we did. The cheap free-kick given away was unnecessary." Stubbs fired it in off Ball to win the game and the ex-Everton defender had earlier conceded the penalty when Thomas Radzinski went down suspiciously easily in the box. McLeish said: "Poor Bally. He has deflected it past Stefan (Klos, the goalkeeper) when it was right in Stefan's hands and he has been unlucky with the penalty. There are suggestions that Radzinski took a dive and it wouldn't be the first time. But I thought he put his foot in and putting your foot in is always a risk."

Friday, 25 July, 2003

Gers draw Danes or Maltese Rangers will face either FC Copenhagen of Denmark or Maltese side Sliema in the Champions League third qualifying round. Alex McLeish's side will play the first leg match at Ibrox on August 12 /13 with the second leg on 26/27. Alex McLeish has admitted his squad would need a slice of luck to make a big impact in the Champions League. They will be favourites to come through that one but McLeish, who has been forced to shed experienced players over the summer to trim the wage bill, admitted it would be different should they reach the next stage. He told Sky Sports News: "I think we would need a bit of luck. I don't think the squad is strong enough to have a campaign to go all the way. To reach the second stage we would have to be a bit lucky but we do have a lot of good players. In the Champions League you need a very strong squad and just now we are maybe two or three players short" McLeish believed that once the second round of qualifiers was completed his side would be heading for Denmark. He said: "We fully expect FC Copenhagen to qualify for the first game here at Ibrox. They have some quality players and players in the Danish national side. We know quite a bit about Copenhagen as things stand although we will watch them in the next couple of weeks before the tie is played."

Wednesday, 23 July, 2003

No deals for Thome or May Rangers won't be offering defenders David May and Emerson Thome an extension to their trial deals. Ibrox boss Alex McLeish told the club website: "We have decided not to offer either David or Emerson a contract and we will keep the discussions we had with both players private. I am obviously looking to strengthen the centre-back area and I hope to sort something out as quickly as possible."

Tuesday, 22 July, 2003

Gers go down in Germany Rangers ended their German tour with a 2-1 defeat against SSV Jahn Regensburg. Rangers went behind in the 10th minute when Martin Willman head home after his team-mate had hit the bar. Christian Nerlinger equalised 10 minutes from the break, but Mario Stieglmais scored the winner 4 minutes from time. Rangers: McGregor; Ross, May (Moore 45), Thome, Muscat (Smith 45); Ricksen (Malcolm 45), Arteta (Mols 45), Nerlinger; Capucho (Burke 62), de Boer (Thompson 45) Lovenkrands (Arveladze 74)

Arteta move off Mikel Arteta's proposed move to Atletico Madrid has fallen through after the Spanish club pulled out of the deal. Atletico were believed to have offered around £5m for the Spaniard but were unable to agree personal terms and now the La Liga side look to have lost patience. New Atletico coach Gregorio Manzano said: "Arteta is no longer a priority. I am happy with my midfield and would prefer to strengthen our defence." Atletico sporting director Tony Munoz added: "Yes it's true we have changed our minds about Arteta. We have not reached an agreement with Rangers so we have decided to drop him from our list of possible signings. It would also have been a problem to cope with his annual salary even though Arteta was willing to take a pay cut to join us." Arteta's agent Miguel Santos confirmed that his client will be a Rangers player next season. He told PA International: "The deal with Atletico Madrid regarding Arteta's possible move is dead. Atletico were interested in acquiring Arteta but the new coach at Atletico has changed his mind and no longer wants the player. He is doing the pre-season training with Rangers and he will play next season with them. Although in football you never know, Arteta is willing to complete his three-year contract with the club. "Arteta is very happy there and has never wanted to leave as it was Atletico who wanted him."

Saturday, 19 July, 2003

Rangers secure tournament win Rangers secured back-to-back wins in the Wernesgruner tournament in Germany with striker Michael Mols scoring a hat-trick in the first game. Rangers secured a comfortable 5-1 win over VfB Auerbach in that match and debutant Nuno Capucho also scored, though the Fourth Division side took the lead through Kai Goschel (20). Rangers responded immediately through Mols, the Dutchman then set-up Capucho just a minute later. Mols netted either side of a Peter Lovenkrands' strike. Rangers secured their second win, against FC Erzebrirge, courtesy of a solitary strike from Ronald de Boer. The friendlies were played over 50 minutes and the Dutchman scored the all-important goal after eight minutes slotting home a right foot shot. Youngsters Chris Burke and Stevie Smith joined trialists David May and Emerson Thome and reserve goalkeeper Allan McGregor in the team. Manager Alex McLeish was happy with his players after the back-to-back wins in Germany, and particularly Dutch striker Michael Mols. McLeish told rangers.co.uk: "I was pleased with the two games. It took us a while to get going but we went on to produce a lot of good movement. Michael Mols took his goals well and he also showed great movement in the second game." Team vs VfB Auerbach : Klos; Ross, Grissmann, Moore, Ball; Capucho, Arteta, Ricksen, Lovenkrands; de Boer, Mols Team vs FC Erzebrirge : McGregor; Ricksen, May, Thome, Ball; Capucho (Burke 18), Malcolm, Nerlinger, Lovenkrands; de Boer (Smith 18), Mols

Friday, 18 July, 2003

Hughes sent home injured Stephen Hughes has suffered a blow ahead of the new season after being sent home from the pre-season trip to Germany with a twisted knee. The Ibrox starlet picked up the injury during a training session and flew back the Britain on Thursday night following advice from club doctor Dr Ian McGuinness. The 20-year-old will now now visit in orthopaedic surgeon in Manchester to assess how serious the damage is. Hughes was troubled by injury last season, which led to him making a limited number of first-team appearances after a hugely successful campaign the year before. The likely departure of Mikel Arteta after just one season at Ibrox means the new campaign is likely to be an important one for Hughes if he wants to secure a permanent role in midfield. This latest setback is a huge blow for the young player who is now forced to wait to find out the extent of the damage.

Zurab completes move Zurab Khizanishvili has finally ended any uncertainty over his move to Rangers by signing a three-year deal. The Georgian international passed a medical at the club's Murray Park training complex some weeks ago but the deal was then left uncompleted and he did not put pen to paper. Complications included having to apply to the Department of Employment for a work permit and the ongoing wrangle with his former club, Dundee, over compensation for the 21-year-old.The player's work permit has now been granted, allowing him to finally complete his move to the Scottish champions and join international team-mate, Shota Arveladze, at Ibrox. He said: "I am really happy to sign for Rangers. It was an easy choice to make and now I will do my best on the pitch because I want to be successful here. I spoke to Shota and he told me only good things about the club so I'm looking forward to winning many trophies."

Thursday, 17 July, 2003

Phillips linked with Gers Rangers are ready to hand Kevin Phillips a chance to resurrect his career away from Sunderland. The Scottish champions, who have been repeatedly linked with the 29-year-old striker during the summer, have already been in contact with his club as the pressure mounts on the relegated Black Cats to sell their biggest names. Neither Sunderland, Rangers nor Phillips' agent Jon Smith were commenting on the matter on Thursday, but PA Sport understands that dialogue has begun. However, any deal is a long way off as the various parties involved attempt to pave the way for a decisive breakthrough.

Wright returns home Alex McLeish has hinted that the door is still open for Alan Wright. The former Aston Villa defender cited personal reasons for leaving their training camp in Germany. McLeish had offered him the chance of a trial but despite the setback the Ibrox boss suggested he could revive his interest. He said: "We could look at it again when we get back to Scotland. Wright's chances of signing for Rangers seemed be over after he quit the Ibrox side's tour and cut the trial short. And McLeish admitted any plans to sign the player had been put on the back burner. He said: "We spoke to his agent and he cited personal reasons for Alan's departure. I didn't want to pry too much so I just left things as they were. It's highly unlikely the player will return to Germany to meet up with us and we'll need to see what happens. I don't know if we'll bring him back and, at the moment, the whole thing is put aside. We will just need to watch this space. We'll talk when we get back because that side of things is still open but we'll need to see what happens."

Wednesday, 16 July, 2003

Thompson double seals win Rangers kicked off their pre-season with a 2-0 win over Greuther Furth. Steven Thompson struck twice and should have grabbed a hat-trick. Thompson fired home a Michael Ball pass after 38 minutes and flicked home his second on the hour mark, but missed a penalty with just five minutes to go. Trialist Emerson Thome played the whole game, partnering David May in the first half and Craig Moore in the second. Team : Klos; Ross (Muscat 68), May (Moore 45), Thome, Ball (Smith 68); Burke (Arveladze 68), Ricksen (Malcolm 45), Nerlinger (Khizanishvili 68), McCann; Thompson, Mols (Lovenkrands 45) Unused : McGregor

Tuesday, 15 July, 2003

Gers to take a look at Wright Rangers trialist Alan Wright has revealed he was on his way to try his luck at Middlesbrough when the Scottish champions made their move. The 31-year-old free agent, who left Aston Villa in the summer, immediately veered away from Teesside and hopped on a flight to Germany instead. Now he has joined fellow trialists David May and Emerson Thome at the Gers' training camp in south-east Germany in the hope of winning a permanent deal. Wright told rangers.co.uk: "It was a call out of the blue. My agent phoned when I was on the way up to Middlesbrough but he told me to turn the car around and go home. That's what I did and now I'm training with the squad in Germany. You don't turn down the chance to come to a club like Rangers and now I'll just work hard in training. Hopefully I'll get the chance to prove myself to the manager in the coming friendlies. We have a match tomorrow night so I would love to get involved at some stage. My fitness is good as I have been working hard during the summer." Rangers boss Alex McLeish added: "Alan has agreed to come in and train with us with a view to joining the club. We need to strengthen the left-back position and we will take a look at Alan in the next few days." McLeish hopes to sign a left-back before the new season starts as last season's first choice Arthur Numan and his deputy Jerome Bonnissel have both left the club. It is hoped that long-term casualty Michael Ball, who has had reconstruction surgery on a knee, will be able to resume his first-team career. But Wright has the pedigree to go straight into the team and a decision on his future will be taken at the end of the tour in a week's time.

Monday, 14 July, 2003

Arteta to join squad in Germany Mikel Arteta will join the rest of the Rangers squad in Germany tonight having so far failed to agree personal terms with Spanish giants Atletico Madrid. The Treble winners flew out from Glasgow Airport this morning with the Spaniard a notable absentee. Rangers have agreed a £5m deal with Atletico, but there are fears the move could break down because the Spain Under-21 player has yet to agree a wage package. But McLeish is still optimistic the transfer will go through although he wants him to maintain his fitness levels just in case he is needed at Ibrox for the start of the next season. He said: "It's still possible that a deal can be struck with Atletico Madrid, but nothing has been finalised so Mikel will join us tonight. He needs to start work ahead of the new season. We will need him fit if he is to remain with us so that's why we have insisted that he comes with us. Something might materialise later in the week, but he remains a Rangers player at this time so he comes back into the fold until somebody tells me that he is no longer a Rangers player."

Amo completes move Blackburn have completed the £1.4m signing of Rangers defender Lorenzo Amoruso on a three-year deal. The 32-year-old defender leaves Ibrox after six years, during which he won three Scottish Premier League titles. Amoruso said he was relishing his fresh start with Rovers after ending his glittering six-year spell in Glasgow with Rangers. He said: "I am back in a top league and I am looking forward to facing some top strikers every week. My feeling about Blackburn was good from the first phone call and I knew of Graeme through people in Glasgow. He is someone who knows exactly what he wants - just like me."

Thursday, 10 July, 2003

Rangers withdraw from Figueroa bid Rangers have pulled out of their bid to sign Argentinian striker Luciano Figueroa. With 10 other European clubs chasing the Rosario player, they were unwilling to become involved in a bidding war. Martin Bain, the Ibrox director of football business, told the Daily Mail: "There were other considerations, too, like the player's involvement in Argentina's Olympic squad."

Monday, 07 July, 2003

Gers linked with Argie striker Alex McLeish and Director of Football Business Martin Bain traveled to South America at the weekend to watch the Rosario's Luciano Figueroa. Figueroa finished the season as top scorer in Argentina with 17 goals. The 22-year-old, who holds an Italian passport, has been described as a "strong and physical target man who is mobile and sharp around the penalty box".

Konterman released by club Rangers have finally parted company with Bert Konterman after reaching an agreement with the player to terminate his contract a year early. The Dutchman hardly featured in the first team last season and was told by manager Alex McLeish that he was not in his plans for the coming campaign. Both parties had been in negotiations to release Konterman from his contract, which had a year left to run. An agreement has now been reached and he is likely to return to Dutch football next season. Rangers director Martin Bain told the club's official website: "He was always a great ambassador for the club and was a very popular person both in the dressing room and with club employees. We wish Bert all the best for the future." Konterman was at Ibrox for three seasons, but failed to live up to expectations after signing for then-manager Dick Advocaat after Euro 2000, as Celtic won the league in Martin O'Neill's first year in charge. But he won a special place in the hearts of the Rangers support with a terrific goal in the semi-final of last year's CIS Cup semi-final to knock Celtic out.

Thome and May on trial Sunderland's Emerson Thome and ex-Manchester Utd's David May have joined Rangers on trial at Murray Park. With Lorenzo Amoruso is on his way to Blackburn Rovers Rangers are looking for defensive cover and Thome or May might fit the bill. Assistant boss Andy Watson told rangers.co.uk: "It's no secret that we are looking for some cover in the centre half position and that's why the two lads are here. We will have a look at them all of this week and maybe next week in Germany and take it from there."

Saturday, 05 July, 2003

Fergie back for season start Captain Barry Ferguson has handed manager Alex McLeish a massive boost by declaring he will be fit for the first game of the season. The midfielder went under the needle last month in a bid to finally cure the pelvic problems which plagued him throughout the Ibrox side's treble-winning campaign. Ferguson had admitted prior to the operation that he feared a lengthy spell on the sidelines was ahead if surgeons discovered his problem was worse than initially anticipated. But the operation proved to be a total success and the 25-year-old insists he is well on course to make a return to action in time for the curtain-raiser against Kilmarnock. He said: "I'm confident I'll be ready for the kick-off. The doctors and physios are very happy with the way things have gone and I feel very good. I'm confident that I'll be ready to go at the start of the new season. The operation was a total success and now it's all about strengthening work. I won't be training with the rest of the team right away - in two weeks I'll go in with the rest of the boys. When I report back to Murray Park and see all the boys again the buzz will be there. And I'm determined to be flying when the season starts." Despite playing through the pain barrier for the entire season, Ferguson still managed to show outstanding form for Rangers, which earned him the Player of the Year awards from both his fellow professionals and Scottish football writers. That meant enduring a combination of pain-killing injections and pain-killers, which left the highly-rated midfielder feeling ill. Now he hopes he has finally put his injury hell behind him for good. He told the Glasgow Evening Times: "I couldn't go through the pain I suffered last season again. It was extremely painful and I'm glad it has been sorted out. The only explanation as to how it came about is wear and tear. I'm 25 and I have averaged 55 games a season in my five years in top level football."

June 2003 Zurab signing expected on Thursday Rangers have confirmed they expect to complete the signing of defender Zurab Khizanishvili on Thursday. The Georgian international will arrive at Ibrox for further negotiations and a medical. The 21-year-old has returned from holiday and is now ready to complete the move to the Light Blues. A Rangers spokeswoman said: "Zurab Khizanishvili will be at Ibrox on Thursday for talks to firm up his contract details and for a medical." Khizanishvili last pulled on a Dundee shirt in the Tennent's Scottish Cup final defeat by, ironically, Rangers on May 31. But there had been strong links between the club and the player before the Hampden Park showpiece. The Georgian looks set to plug the gap created by the imminent departure of Lorenzo Amoruso to Blackburn Rovers. The Italian has still not signed for Ewood Park boss Graeme Souness but is expected to complete the transfer at any time. Khizanishvili will become Alex McLeish's second signing of the summer following the arrival of striker Nuno Capucho from Porto last week. Numan plays down return speculation Former Rangers defender Arthur Numan has poured cold water on the chance of a short-term return to the Ibrox club. The ex-Holland international looked set to be on the verge of a possible half-season contract with the Light Blues, according to his agent Joop Korevaar. The 33-year-old waved an emotional farewell to the fans after the Tennent's Scottish Cup final win over Dundee last month. But now Numan maintains a surprise return to the Ibrox ranks before moving to the United States at the turn of the year is highly unlikely. Numan told Scotland Today: "The chances of me playing for Rangers again are very small. I had five fantastic years playing for Rangers and I will never forget my time with them. I will always treasure them. But the Cup final was my last game. I don't think they are going to offer me a new deal."