March 1999

Tuesday 30th March 1999

Craig Moore jetted into Glasgow yesterday to thrash out a deal to bring him back to Rangers. Moore held talks with financial director Douglas Odam and is now almost certain to rejoin his former club on July 1st. However, last night there was still one major stumbling block to overcome as Rangrs and Crystal Palace attempted to thrash out a transfer fee. Cash-strapped Palace have been forced into selling their highest earner and have not yet finished paying the bill on Moore's orginal £800,000 move. It had been expected that Palace would simply cut their losses by letting Moore move back north in return for Rangers wiping out the outstanding balance. But the London club are now believed to be looking for a full refund in light of their finiancial situation.

Monday 29th March 1999

Sergio Porrini is being lined up for a summer move to Blackburn Rovers. Ewood Park boss Brian Kidd is desperate to sign the quality right-sided defender but would need to shell out £3Million. Kidd has had Porrini checked out and is impressed by what his spies tell him but he hasn't decided yet how much he feels the player is worth. The Italian - signed by Gers in the summer of 1997 for £4Million from Juventus - has two years of his Ibrox contract to run but is highly unlikely to see it out. He would not object to a switch to the Premiership and Gers boss Dick Advocaat is unlikely to block a Porrini move since he has ample cover in that area. And with Darius Adamczuk and Craig Moore heading to Ibrox in the summer, Sergio's exit route is even clearer. Defender Scott Wilson admits this summer represents make-or-break time in his Ibrox career. He said: "If I cannot get back into Dick Advocaat's plans then I think I will have to look elsewhere. I'm getting to the age now where I need to be playing regularly, it is no good to me to be playing here and there. I want to help us win the League title and then get myself into Dick's plans for the start of next season. I feel I haven't been given a run in the team and being sent off a couple of times has held me back a bit. If I get a chance to prove myself, then it's up to the manager, but right now I feel I've got to be playing."

Friday 26th March 1999

Leicester City have signed Charlie Miller on loan until the end of the season.

Thursday 25th March 1999

Barry Ferguson will miss the rest of the season as he requires complete rest to heal his fractured pelvis. Ferguson saw a London-based doctor over the injury which has been troubling him. Rangers lost their friendly with Raith Rovers last night. Around 5000 fans saw a strong Rangers team lose to a Stevie Tosh goal in a game arranged to keep players match fit during the free weekend and to give the struggling Fife side a boost. Rangers Team : Klos, Porrini, Amoruso, Vidmar, McInnes, Carson, Kanchelskis, Van Bronckhorst, Miller, Amato, Albertz Subs : Wallace, Riccio, Brown, Gibson, Malcolm,McKnight Liverpool's forgotten man Oyvind Leonhardsen is wanted by treble-chasing Rangers to help them out of an injury crisis. The Norwegian midfielder could be the answer to manager Dick Advocaat's problems as he looks for a top player on loan for the rest of the season. Leonhardsen, who cost £4million from Wimbledon, is out of Gerard Houllier's plans and available at £1m, but Scottish giants Rangers are looking at him as a short-term signing.

Wednesday 24th March 1999

Young midfielder Barry Ferguson has flown to London this morning suffering from a pelvic problem that has almost certainly ended his season. He's become the latest victim of 'burnout', a problem caused by lack of a decent break from the rigours of modern day football. The player himself said: "It has all caught up with me. That's what the doctors have been telling me. I've not had a break since I was 16. It's been four years of non-stop football playing for Rangers and the Scotland youth sides." So, the likely cure he will be told is rest Rangers today urged the Scottish Premier League to review the early Sunday evening kick-off for Sky televised matches. The Ibrox outfit face more than a month of Sundays starting with the April 4 visit to St Johnstone and ending with a May 9 home meeting with Hearts. Rangers secretary-director Campbell Ogilvie today outlined the general feeling among the top-flight clubs the present time slot of 6.05pm is flawed. His comments followed Rangers manager Dick Advocaat's highlighting of the issue last Friday when he explained the difficulties preparing players. Ogilvie said: "The 6.05pm kick-off time has proven to be universally unacceptable to both the fans and the management. W have now gone back to the SPL and have asked for a review of the kick-off slot for next season and will do our best to change it."

Monday 22nd March 1999

Dutch international striker Michael Mols has announced his decision to join Rangers at a news conference at his club Utrecht on Monday lunchtime. Mols had been deliberating whether to sign for countryman Dick Advocaat's Ibrox side or become the latest Dutchman to try his luck in the Premiership, with Danny Wilson's Sheffield Wednesday in the hunt. However, Mols opted for a £4million switch to the title-chasing Scottish outfit and he is expected to join up with Rangers at the end of the current campaign. The player, capped four times by his country, had agreed upon a £3.5million switch to Sheffield Wednesday before Rangers' intervention. Ajax were also in the queue to sign the highly-rated striker but pulled out of the chase when they decided that they already had enough attacking options in their squad. 50,000 Rangers fans from all corners of the world have voted JOHN GREIG as the greatest ever Ranger in last nights awards ceremony held in Glasgow ahead of second-placed Ally McCoist with Davie Cooper in third position. The award for greatest non-Scot to appear for Rangers went to Danish international Brian Laudrup ahead of Paul Gascoigne, while winger Cooper claimed the greatest goal prize. The Greatest Ever Rangers Team was: 1) Andy Goram, 2) Sandy Jardine, 3) John Greig, 4) Richard Gough, 5) Terry Butcher, 6) Jim Baxter, 7) Brian Laudrup, 8) Paul Gascoigne, 9) Ally McCoist, 10) Mark Hateley, 11) Davie Cooper.

Friday 19th March 1999

Rangers and Celtic will have the same shirt sponsor next season. The Old Firm announced a record-breaking joint deal at a Press conference in Glasgow this afternoon. NTL, one of the United Kingdom's fastest growing telecommunications and media companies, is to spend £13 million over the next four years in a unique sponsorship agreement. The level of sponsorship far exceeds any sum previously seen in Scottish football. Rangers Chairman David Murray said: "Part of our sponsorship strategy has been to attract a company with the same ambition and drive as Rangers. In NTL we believe we have found the right partner for this club. The opportunities for the Old Firm and NTL are many and we look forward to exciting times over the next few years." Colin Hendry will miss tomorrow's match with Dundee Utd and Barry Ferguson faces a fitness test over a groin injury. The upcoming league games against Aberdeen and Hearts have been changed to accommodate live TV. The Aberdeen game is now Sunday 25th April and the Hearts game Sunday 9th May. Both games are live on Sky with a 6.05pm kickoff. Rangers now have 9 league games left this season 5 of which are live on Sky as well as the Scottish Cup semi-final against St Johnstone and possibly the Scottish Cup Final.

Thursday 18th March 1999

Ibrox misfit Stephane Guivarc'h is set to quit Rangers following the arrival of £4million hit man Michael Mols. Although Mols is not due to make the final decision on his move from Dutch club Utrecht until Monday, the indications coming out of Holland are that he intends to join fellow countryman Dick Advocaat in Glasgow. With former Leeds forward Rod Wallace and Jonatan Johansson showing such impressive form in Rangers' unstoppable run towards the Premier League title, Guivarc'h is likely to be the man frozen out. The French World Cup man is already unhappy at not being a regular in Advocaat's side and has revealed an exit clause in his contract that could see him leave within days. "I signed a three and a half year contract with Rangers but I have the benefit of an escape clause every season," he said. "I have to exercise it before March 31 every year if I want to leave and I feel I should be a first team regular."

Monday 15th March 1999

Dutch strikers Michael Mols has been in Glasgow today for talks about a move to Rangers. The 27 year old Utrecht striker has scored 13 goals this season and has been linked to Sheffield Wednesday and Marseille. Mols has indicated that he will make his decision next week. Rangers Chairman David Murray has confirmed that he tried to buy Manchester City last year. Mr Murray had meetings with representatives of the Maine Road club with a view to a takeover. However, the then Scottish Football Association chief executive Jim Farry advised him against the deal.Mr Murray said: "We had three meetings with Manchester City last year with a view to me buying the club. I was aware of the possible problems with UEFA about dual ownership and I spoke to Jim Farry about this at the time. Mr Farry advised me that there could be serious difficulties with me having a controlling interest in Rangers and Manchester City if we were both in the same European tournament. Basically, one of the teams would have been forced to withdraw from the competition. Therefore, because of this, we decided that it would be better to walk away from the deal." Dick Advocaat has been fined £1,000 and warned about his future conduct by the SFA today. Advocaat was reported after his trackside protests over the award of a penalty to Dunfermline last month.

Sunday 14th March 1999

Rangers are poised to create a £7million training complex to atract Scotland's top kids. Ibrox manager Dick Advocaat and chairman David Murray have chosen a site and aim to have the project up and running by June 2000. Advocaat went south on a fact-finding mission to Liverpool and Middlesborough and he said: "It is vital we move on this now because we want the best talent in Scotland to come here and not go to the big English clubs. I was surprised Rangers didn't have a complex at first but now we have been to the sites and the chairman and myself have settled on one." The Rangers Under-21 and youth teams will play their matches at the new centre with the first team also based there for training during the week. Rangers chairman David Murray has launched a bid to buy a top English club, according to a report. It is understood that Murray made contact with Manchester City towards the end of last year about the prospect of a £20m investment. According to the Sunday Mail, Murray was approached by City chairman David Bernstein to discuss the matter. Murray told the newspaper that he had been offered four English clubs in recent months. Stefan Klos thinks that in the Championship run-in Rangers hardest opponent may be themselves. Speaking after the 2-1 win over Motherwell he said: "The first half we had no problems, but after they scored a goal we got a bit nervous. The first 70 minutes were ours, but after they scored we had no good organisation, I don't know what caused it, perhaps something to do with the end of the Championship approaching. It was difficult to play Motherwell with the way they defended, but after their goal it was different and normally we handle those situations better. It was a problem for us because the game seemed to be over. Then they got a goal and put some pressure on us and we were less organised in response."

Wednesday 10th March 1999

Rangers chairman David Murray has spurned several enquiries for Jorg Albertz - and no-one is more delighted than the under-pressure German. Albertz feared his days at Ibrox were numbered when the Glasgow giants swooped to sign Neil McCann from Hearts. In a meeting with Murray, 28-year-old Albertz confirmed he is committed to the cause. "The chairman told me he had received calls from clubs wanting to buy me but told them I am not for sale," said Albertz. "When you hear about interest from other clubs, you sometimes wonder if your own club is trying to move you on. But now I know that Rangers want to keep me and I am delighted about that. If I had wanted to leave I would have gone to see Dick Advocaat by now and asked for a move. I am as happy now as I have ever been. We have the chance to win the treble and that is all I want to concentrate on," Rangers skipper Lorenzo Amoruso is ready to commit himself to Ibrox for the rest of his career. After turning terrace jeers to cheers, the Italian defender who scored the winner in the 2-1 victory over Falkirk on Sunday, is hoping for the opportunities to match the achievements of great Rangers legends. "I have three more years on my contract and I have no problem staying here at Rangers after that," he said. "If the chairman asks me to extend my contract then I would say yes. I could stay here for the rest of my career because I want to see Rangers winning everything in Scotland and in Europe as well." Rangers now top the Bank of Scotland Scottish Premier League, after the Bank and SPL confirmed the £3.75million 3 season sponsership deal.

Monday 8th March 1999

Rangers are still on course for a domestic treble but manager Dick Advocaat found little reason to smile tonight. He was unhappy at the way his team struggled to overcome First Division Falkirk in the Tennents Scottish Cup. Rangers moved into the last four after a 2-1 victory, which made it eight wins on the trot. But Advocaat said: "Let's just try to forget it. I am not happy with the way we played. Falkirk were well organised and more committed than us. Our attitude was a problem. I said something to the players at half time for Falkirk were looking fresher than us." Jim Farry has been sacked as the Chief Executive of the SFA over his handling of Jorge Cadete's transfer to Celtic.

Sunday 7th March 1999

Scottish Cup Semi-Final Draw: Gk. Morton/Celtic Vs Ayr Utd/Dundee Utd St Johnstone Vs Rangers Ties to be played April 10th or 11th

Friday 5th March 1999

Advocaat has denied rumours that Jorg Albertz would be unable to play on Sunday. He confirmed that the German midfielder had been ill during the week, but assured fans that he had trained with the team on Friday and is fit. However, Rangers will be without Colin Hendry. The defender, who made his comeback from a groin injury last week, now has an ankle problem but won't be out for long.

Thursday 4th March 1999

Scotland's senior clubs outwith the SPL are mulling over a radical plan which could see Rangers and Celtic reserves starring in the Scottish lower leagues in the future. It could have a huge impact on the money coming into the game at lower level. According to sources who were at the last meeting of the members in Airdrie on Monday, the plan would be to allow Rangers and Celtic to field a reserve side, making it 30 clubs outwith the SPL. A further two top-flight clubs in third and fourth place in the SPL would also be allowed to field a reserve side, making the number up to 32. There would then be a split of two leagues of 16 under the SPL. Should the plans be upheld by the smaller clubs, they would then have to sell the idea to the SPL. Ian Ferguson has become the third Rangers star to be sidelined for the rest of the season because of an ankle injury. Fergie has been out since December when he suffered a collision with Hearts' Gary Locke and is unlikely to play for the rest of this term. Stefan Klos has said that he would like to extend his stay with Rangers and despite being ignored by the German national side that he made the right choice in coming to Ibrox. Klos only arrived at Rangers on Christmas Eve and is under contract until 2003.

Tuesday 2nd March 1999

Alan McLaren on Tuesday night dedicated his testimonial night to controversial Paul Gascoigne, who almost overshadowed the beneficiary on the gala evening. For a moment it looked as if Gascoigne had responded to Rangers supporters' chants and offered a repeat of the controversial flute-playing gesture seen twice during his Ibrox career. But Gascoigne stressed there was never any prospect of him doing so tonight and instead stressed he had merely imitated a photographer by pretending to take a picture. He said: "I was never going to do the flute gesture again and I was worried when I heard the fans requesting that because I did it a few years back. "That was due to Ian Ferguson stitching me up but I learned my lesson and I was not going to fall for it again and make any trouble for myself." Happily, though, nothing was to take away from the mood on a carnival night which saw eight goals shared - the most memorable from McLaren himself. Forced into premature retirement with a knee injury, McLaren was beckoned from the bench to fire in a 73rd-minute penalty which marked his evening in style. He said: "It was an incredible atmosphere and I really enjoyed it. It is Paul's night, but I was getting the cheque so I was happy at the end. "It was emotional, but I felt worse at Ian Durrant's testimonial towards the end of last season because I knew that was my last real appearance. "I thought I was going to tear a thigh muscle the way I took that penalty, but it was great to get the goal past the dive of a keeper who seemed to want to save it." Robbie Fowler departed after the match without giving interviews, the Liverpool forward opening the scoring for Rangers on the night after seven minutes. Brian Laudrup has had to pull out of Alan McLaren's testimonial tonight after his current club FC Copenhagen arranged a friendly.

Monday 1st March 1999

Rangers will play cash-strapped Raith Rovers in a friendly later this month. Rangers asked to play the game to keep players not involved in Euro 2000 qualifiers match fit. Tickets have been priced at £8 for adults and £4 for kids for the game on Wednesday 24th March. Some coaches are never happy - and some are happy when they're angry. That's the two sides of Rangers Dutchman Dick Advocaat who complained about his side's poor first half performance against Kilmarnock as far as goal scoring went, but was delighted at his side's rout in the final 15 minutes that saw Rangers go back to ten points clear at the top of the league with just ten matches remaining. He said afterwards: "We played very well and should have scored more than one goal in the first half. We created a number of excellent scoring chances but failed to take them. There are still 10 games left and we will get sharper between now and the end of the season. There is still work to be done."