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Thursday 30th May 2002

Youngsters offered new deals Maurice Ross is set to be rewarded with a bumper new contract extention after a string of impressive displays for club and country. Talks have already opened with the player, his agent and the Ibrox giants aimed at tieing the promising young defender to a long-term deal, despite the fact that he still has two years remaining on his current contract. Ross has already been at Ibrox for five years but has finally burst into the first team with a string of composed displays which have also earned him an international future under Scotland manager Berti Vogts, and he was the outstanding player of the recent Far East tour. Fellow youth hopefuls Bob Malcolm and Alan McGregor have also been offered new deals, with their current contracts set to expire in the summer. And finance director Douglas Odam told the club's website: "All three players have all been offered new deals, but nothing has been signed at the moment. For the time being, however, they are still under contract to the club and we will take it from there when they return from their summer breaks. Ultimately Alan and Bob have to give us an answer by the end of August because with the new signing deadline in place they must decide one way or another by then otherwise they won't be able to sign for anyone. But I think we're reasonably optimistic that they will sign and be with us next season although I haven't yet had any more direct contact with them since the drafts were sent."

Wednesday 29th May 2002

Euro seeding boost Rangers have been boosted by the news they will be seeded for the opening two rounds of the UEFA Cup next season. The Ibrox club are ranked in the top 16 of the competition after their Champions League and UEFA Cup performances in the last few years. They will now avoid major luminaries such as Chelsea, Leeds, Lazio and Parma in the first two rounds of the competition, the first round of which starts on September 19. But Ibrox secretary Campbell Ogilvie believes the fact the team will not have to play European ties before the start of the Premier League season will be of benefit to the club. Ogilvie told the club's official website, rangers.co.uk: "It seems clear we will be seeded in the first round and probably in further rounds if we can progress and that is obviously highly beneficial although there are still difficult opponents out there. The big change for us is that we may not play our first home European game until October 3, which is a full two months into the season. Last season we had played four European matches by August 22. As we are in the UEFA Cup we will not know our opponents in the first round until August 30 when the draw is made so it will certainly give the team some time to settle into a rhythm."

Tuesday 28th May 2002

Milan and Leeds friendlies arranged Rangers will take on both Leeds United and AC Milan in glamour friendlies at Ibrox this summer. The last time the Govan side played Leeds was during the 1992-93 Champions League campaign when Rangers won the 'Battle of Britain' tie 4-2 on aggregate. Fans will be able to see new signings Mikel Arteta and Kevin Muscat in action against David O'Leary's men in the pre-season friendly on Wednesday, August 7. But first to visit Ibrox are Italian giants AC Milan who play Rangers on Sunday, July 28, before Alex McLeish's side head for Northern Ireland for the first time in 18 years to take on Linfield two days later. Rangers director-secretary Campbell Ogilvie arranged the meeting with AC Milan the day before the Champions League final at Hampden Park when European football's powerful G14 lobbying group met at Ibrox. He told the official Rangers website, rangers.co.uk: "I spoke with organisational director Umberto Gandini who was representing Milan at the G14 meeting and he indicated that AC would be very keen to come here. We have been trying to bring Milan to Ibrox for a few years now but we had been unable to do so because we had been starting our season so early, both domestically and in Europe. In previous years we have been involved in European qualifiers in July, while the SPL has also started at the end of the month. The SPL does not start until August 3 next season and we are not involved in Europe until September 19, which has enabled us to bring teams of the calibre of Milan and Leeds to Ibrox. They are both hugely attractive opponents and I'm sure our supporters will relish the opportunity to watch Rangers in action against them. Umberto Gandini was very impressed when he looked round the stadium earlier this month and he has promised that a full-strength squad will be coming to Ibrox even though so many of the Milan players are involved in the World Cup finals." Rangers commercial director Martin Bain added: "I am delighted to welcome both teams to Ibrox for what should be very exciting and memorable matches. The club set out to bring world-class opposition to Ibrox for the fans to really start our season in style. It is important for a club of this size to face opposition of this stature, both for the team and our supporters throughout the world." Muscat wants fresh start Kevin Muscat admits he wants to use his move to Ibrox to wipe the slate clean. The Australian earned himself a reputation as a hard man with Crystal Palace and Wolves, as well as Australia. But he believes the move to Glasgow will allow him to wipe out his past. He said: "I just want to come into Ibrox with a clean slate and go from there. I've never been more hungry and I just want to get on with it I don't want to talk about the past. I'd grown stale and a bit complacent after five good years with Wolves and I needed a fresh challenge. That's why I left. The only thing I've won in football was promotion from the First Division with Crystal Palace and I'm hungry for a lot more than that before I retire."

Thursday 23rd May 2002

McLeish signs new deal Alex McLeish has agreed to extend his contract at the club for another two years. McLeish took over from Dick Advocaat and secured his place in Ibrox fans' hearts by winning the CIS and Scottish Cups last season. He said: "I relish this extended opportunity which hopefully brings stability coupled with further success in the coming seasons." Chairman David Murray is delighted that boss Alex McLeish has agreed to stay at Ibrox until 2004. Murray insists the new deal for McLeish was testament to the work the former Hibernian manager had done for the successes of last season. He said: "Alex has made an immediate impact on improving the fortunes of our club and this is demonstrated by this increased new contract." Ross wanting long-term deal Maurice Ross is hoping he will be the next Rangers player to sign an extended deal. The 21-year-old has put in some impressive displays for the national team in the Far East, and now aims to extend his contract at Ibrox. Ross told the Evening Times: "Nobody wants to leave Rangers. You want to stay as long as you can - I think you'd wait until you were kicked out."

Wednesday 15th May 2002

One in, Three out Alex McLeish has confirmed the club have signed Wolves defender Kevin Muscat on a free transfer. The Midlands club had been angered by the switch through a pre-contract agreement between the Ibrox club and the Australia international, who was out of contract at Wolves. McLeish said: "Kevin Muscat signed a few weeks ago. He will bring experience and he is a solid pro. We have had good endorsements for him from past coaches, none more so than Eddie Thomsen (the former Australia coach), who I played with at Aberdeen. Eddie rates Kevin very highly, but we also did our homework. We watched him in a few games and he looked like he would be a good squad acquisition." Meanwhile, McLeish has also confirmed Andrei Kanchelskis has been released from the club along with Tony Vidmar. McLeish told Rangers News: "Andrei and Tony are leaving. They're free to go under Bosman as they won't be offered new contracts. Both have done a great job for me this season. Tony can play anywhere in defence and we have also put him in midfield. When Andrei came into the side, his attitude was fantastic. I saw him in the Under-21s and he looked like he had given up on football. But a lot of foreign guys only come alive when they are involved in first-team football. Theirs is a mentality we perhaps don't understand in Scotland. We sometimes have to adapt to them as much as they have to us." Finnish defender Tero Penttila has also been released by the club after making just three first team appearances since signing in Novemmber 1999.

Tuesday 14th May 2002

FA shut door on move The Football Association have brought an end to any hopes of a move into English football by Celtic and Rangers. The FA's board have made it publicly clear that they would not sanction the Old Firm clubs joining the Football League either next season or in any other season. Representatives of Celtic and Rangers have recently held outline talks with the Football League over the possibility of joining the First Division amid an ongoing row over their television deal north of the border. However, the FA's rules dictate that only English and Welsh clubs can take part in the Premiership and Football League, which are run on a pyramid structure that cannot be circumvented. A statement released on the FA's official website, www.theFA.com, said: "The FA today made it clear that it would not sanction either Celtic or Rangers joining the Nationwide Football League. This was discussed at a recent board meeting. The FA have re-confirmed that such a move would be contrary to its policy and against the spirit of fair competition." Transfer speculation Continental reports have again linked Alex McLeish with a swoop for a Barcelona player - though this time the target is keeper Richard Dutruel. The other target is believed to be highly-rated German defender Manuel Friedrich, already tipped as a future international star. The move for French international shot-stopper Dutruel will almost certainly signal the end of Danish keeper Jesper Christiansen's time with the Ibrox club. He has been on loan at Velje for the last few months to secure his World Cup place - but could soon make the switch permanent. The Barca keeper was Carlos Rexach's number one choice earlier in the season, but has since fallen out of favour with the Nou Camp boss. However, the deal to land Dutruel could already have hit the skids, with Barca confirming Louis van Gaal will take charge of first-team affairs again next season. Van Gaal will now have to decide if the Frenchman has a future at the club next season. However, the Ibrox club should have less difficulty in their efforts to land Mainz defender Freidrich. The 22-year-old will be available this summer after his employers narrowly missed out on promotion - and Ibrox scout Ewan Chester recently checked on his abilities.

Sunday 12th May 2002

Nationwide invite rubbished Football League chief executive David Burns has denied Rangers and Celtic will be invited to join the Nationwide League next season, adding they do not want the Glasgow giants. David Burns flattened a report that the League's board would meet on Thursday to invite Rangers and Celtic to move south. Burns conceded that League chairman Keith Harris did meet his Celtic counterpart, but denied any invitation for the Bhoys and Gers had been discussed. He said: "Absolute rubbish. We have a regular board meeting this Thursday and Celtic and Rangers is not on the agenda and it won't be on the agenda. If they are coming, they won't be coming into the Nationwide Football League." Burns added it would not be practical to bring Rangers and Celtic into the League in time for next season because of policing concerns. He said on BBC Radio Five Live: "Once the Nationwide League Division One play-off final has been concluded, the fixture preparation for next season starts. There are a number of issues to take into account in planning that and one of those is security. The idea that you could start to do that without thinking about Rangers and Celtic is just madness." Burns vehemently rejected the suggestion that Rangers and Celtic would help the League. Although he did admit the clubs' fans would swell attendances, he insisted the League does not need them. He said: "Why would it give the League a boost when this year we have had crowds which have not been seen since 1958? We have rising attendances this year, which are up Nationwide football has never been as popular so why would it give English league football a boost? Celtic and Rangers would increase attendances, but that's the case anyway and it would have to be done in a properly organised competition. The League chairmen, I would think to them the idea of Celtic and Rangers being dropped into the English Football League Division One is a nonsense. If they were to join the English Football League, they would be dropped into the middle of the football pyramid and I would say the Premier League would have something to say about that."

Friday 10th May 2002

Young Guns out on Sunday Rangers are to reward four members of the championship-winning Under-18 team with a taste of first-team action at Dunfermline on Sunday. Captain Andy Dowie, goalkeeper Graeme Smith, winger Chris Burke and left-sided utility player Tom Brighton have all been drafted into the squad. The Scottish Cup winners are likely to be without Claudio Caniggia, who suffered knee damage in last week's Hampden Park victory over Celtic New deal for Hughes Promising young midfielder Stephen Hughes has signed a three-year extension to his current deal which keeps him at Ibrox for the next five years. McLeish reckons Ferguson was the inspiration for Hughes - now he hopes Hughes can act as the inspiration for the next crop of youngsters coming through the ranks. He said: "We've managed to tie up Stephen Hughes for another three years extended onto his contract so he's got a five-year deal. Hopefully Stevie will inspire the young ones below him to be successful and to be awarded with such a contract."

Wednesday 8th May 2002

Ferguson Staying Barry Ferguson has ended weeks of speculation over his future by announcing his decision to stay at the Ibrox club. Liverpool, Arsenal and Leeds were all reported to be interested in the midfielder, but the 24-year-old insists he is happy to stay in Glasgow. He said: "I am pleased to remain a Rangers player and captain and look forward to the challenges ahead." David Murray today confirmed that skipper Barry Ferguson was staying at the club after rejecting three offers for him. The Ibrox chief insisted he had rejected bids he would normally have accepted, to put an end to the speculation surrounding the midfielder. Murray said: "We do not believe selling at this time would be in the best interests of Rangers Football Club."

Monday 6th May 2002

Peter and Jesper off to Japan Peter Lovenkrands and Jesper Christiansen have been named in Denmark's World Cup squad.

Sunday 5th May 2002

McLeish exceeds his expectations Alex McLeish has admitted that lifting two trophies within five months of taking the job had exceeded all his initial expectations. Peter Lovenkrands' last-gasp winner in a 3-2 victory over Celtic added the Scottish Cup to the CIS Insurance Cup that was secured in March. McLeish, who has yet to bring a new signing to Ibrox, said: "It has exceeded expectations. I do expect to win silverware with Rangers though. I didn't come here just to get a better wage and say to my grandkids 'I've been to a big club and it didn't work out'. I'm here to win things. I want the players to believe that, when they sign for Rangers, they have signed to play to win. It's difficult to say what effect this will have on next season but it has definitely given us a season that nobody expected. Round about November, I'm sure people would have said it was looking like a Celtic treble but we have taken two-thirds of the domestic trophies. I don't think we will be the favourites next season. I think Celtic will look at this game and say 'we have got to get our heads together guys and hold back the challenge of Rangers'. That's what drives us all, it keeps us all going and I'm sure that will be the case. Martin is a shrewd man, a great manager and has been a great success." It was the first time since 1973, when Tom Forsyth netted for Rangers, that a team had come from behind to win an Old Firm Cup final. McLeish said: "It was an incredible game, a fantastic game. To come back against Celtic twice speaks volumes for the players' commitment because there are not many teams who will do that against Celtic. In fact, I don't know if any have done it over the period of time that Martin O'Neill has been at the helm. So, it was a stunning performance by my players and I felt we deserved it." Ferguson to discuss future Barry Ferguson looks set to thrash out a new deal to stay at Rangers after lifting the Scottish Cup. The Ibrox skipper will meet with chairman David Murray at the beginning of the week in an attempt to determine where he will be playing football next season. The highly-rated midfielder has long been tipped for a move to the Premiership and has been linked with Arsenal, Leeds United and Liverpool this term. Ferguson is one of the club's success stories, having come through the ranks as a youth player before succeeding Lorenzo Amoruso as club captain last season. And the 24-year-old has dropped a massive hint that he may turn his back on England to extend his stay at Rangers. He said: "I will have talks with the chairman next week and take it from there. I have a feeling I know what I want to do. Rangers are one of the biggest clubs in Europe so there is no real reason to move. I'll see what the chairman is thinking - no definite decision has been taken yet. There is crazy money flying around in the Premiership. This thing could drag on for a few weeks but I hope it doesn't." Ferguson was in outstanding form as he led Rangers to a dream cup double at Hampden Park on Saturday and even chipped in with a goal himself. headline - source

Saturday 4th May 2002

102 and counting Rangers secured their 102nd trophy with a last minute Peter Lovenkrands goal. The Danish international, who had also scored in the first half, struck in the second minute of injury time to rob Celtic of the chance to follow up their premier league title with another trophy. With extra time looming, Neil McCann surged down the left and delivered a cross for Lovenkrands to squeeze between Chris Sutton and Johan Mjallby and net his fifth Old Firm goal in as many games. Rangers had twice come from behind, with Lovenkrands' first- half goal and a free kick from captain Barry Ferguson cancelling out strikes by Celtic's John Hartson and Bobo Balde. It was the second trophy in just six months for Rangers manager Alex McLeish, who also won the Scottish League Cup in March, but it ended an amazing run for his counterpart Martin O'Neill under whose guidance Celtic had never lost a domestic game in which they had taken the lead. Rangers, who lost six out of seven derbies under Advocaat, have changed the tide since McLeish replaced the Dutchman as manager last December. They could have gone ahead after three minutes had Lorenzo Amoruso not headed Ferguson's free kick over the bar from just four metres. But Rangers' early pressure evaporated when Hartson put Celtic in front after 18 minutes. The Welsh international had won a corner, forcing keeper Stefan Klos to touch his cross over the bar, and Alan Thompson's kick was met at the back post by Balde, whose downward header bounced up at the far post for Hartson to guide a header into the roof of the net. However, before Celtic's support could even begin to enjoy their celebrations, Rangers had equalised within two minutes. Mjallby and Sutton both got in each other's way as they went for Craig Moore's long ball on the edge of the box and Lovenkrands pounced to drill a left-foot shot past goalkeeper Robert Douglas from 14 metres. However, Celtic regained the lead in the 49th minute after Larsson had drawn a foul from Amoruso out on the left wing. Neil Lennon flighted an angled free kick across the box which was met by Balde and the French defender thumped a header past Klos. But Rangers refused to buckle and began to apply pressure of their own. Ferguson showed deft skill in the 63rd minute before thrashing a shot against the post from 25 metres, with Douglas beaten. But the Rangers captain's aim was deadly in the 68th minute as he levelled the match at 2-2. Balde foolishly fouled Amoruso just outside the box, allowing Ferguson to curl a free kick over the wall and away from Douglas for the equaliser. Both sides ran themselves to a virtual standstill as they searched the winner, with Mjallby clearing a shot from Ricksen off the line in 82 minutes before Lovenkrands had the final word.

Thursday 2nd May 2002

McLeish looking for Cup win Alex McLeish insists that lifting the Scottish Cup at the expense of Celtic will enable them to pass the season off as a success. Celtic have long since wrapped up the championship and, with one game still to play, have already racked up a record 100 points. But McLeish, who has seen his side pip Celtic on the way to winning Scotland's other major trophy, the CIS Insurance Cup, insisted that victory at Hampden on Saturday would see his side fall on the right side of the very fine line that always divides the Old Firm. He said: "I think it is a huge game for both teams. We have been accused of having a bad season but I think that if we win the cup people would say it is a good season. It's the fine line I often speak about between success and failure. People will say it has not been a good season if the cup does not come back to Ibrox. We know the consequences of these two big clubs not having success."