NOVEMBER 1999

Tuesday 30th November 1999

Daniel Prodan played his first competitive game for Rangers on Monday night. The Romanian defender took his first steps on the road back to the first team with a 45 run out for the reserve side. Prodan arrived from Atletico Madrid in July 1998 but a knee injury has stopped him from turning out for Dick Advocaat's side. But his return will be a welcome boost for Advocaat with Colin Hendry having a further operation on his knee and Craig Moore facing a domestic ban.

Monday 29th November 1999

Coach Dick Advocaat refused to blame anyone for his side's first league defeat of the season yesterday. And the fact that Celtic also went down away to Motherwell didn't alter his thoughts last night. He said: "I have to give credit to Dundee, they worked their socks off. We had an opportunity to come back when we were given a penalty but unfortunately we missed it. Dundee were committed and we were not. It was like a Cup final for them, although we had a number of good chances." He pointed out that the winning goal should have been prevented, adding: "It was a good shot by their player for the winning goal but someone should have picked him up." To be fair to Rangers, however, they were missing Moore and Adamcuk in the first half, the Polish player suffering a head knock and Moore a strained leg, and with Sergio Porrini also out, they will be short for Wednesday's trip to Pittodrie. This defeat marked Dundee's first league victory over Rangers in 13 years Derek McInnes is set for a move to France and Toulouse are favourites for his signature as he tries to resurrect his ailing career. And that will disappoint the English sides that have been recently linked with him. It's been reported he has already met with officials of the French side and claims there are some minor details to be sorted. He turned down a move to Aberdeen because they wouldn't pay his Ibrox salary of £5,000 a week, and when the French transfer D-day opens on December 15, he will make his switch.

Saturday 27th November 1999

Rangers will be without striker Gabriel Amato for Sunday's game against Dundee at Ibrox. The Argentinean hitman strained his groin in the win over Borussia Dortmund midweek. Dick Advocaat has Jonatan Johansson on standby to fill in for Amato. Another player who is certain to miss out is midfielder Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The Dutchman will be unavailable due to suspension.

Friday 26th November 1999

French goalkeeper Lionel Charbonnier has insisted he is happy at Rangers and has no plans to leave Ibrox. Charbonnier called in his lawyers after articles appeared saying he was keen to leave the club if he was not first choice between the posts. He said: "I am a Rangers player and am happy to be here. This is very difficult for me. I never talked badly about Rangers." Rangers boss Dick Advocaat believes his side are no certainties to progress in the UEFA Cup despite beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Ibrox. He said: "To win 2-0 is a good score and I felt we controlled the game. However, we know we still have 90 minutes left to play. We have a great atmosphere at our stadium but it is the same in Dortmund, so we know it will be very difficult."

Wednesday 24th November 1999

Colin Hendry has admitted defeat as he failed to win his battle against injury to face Borussia Dortmund at Ibrox tomorrow. The Scotland skipper must be wondering if he is jinxed, and no doubt Rangers coach Dick Advocaat hadn't even considered him anyway as he knew of a problem when he returned injured from the recent games against England. Scott Wilson is called into the squad for tomorrow, but Tony Vidmar will line up alongside Craig Moore in Lorenzo Amaruso's absence, with Dariusz Adamcuk replacing the crocked Sergio Porrini. Loan star Thomas Myhre completed preparations for his Rangers debut and declared 'You're Euro dream is in safe hands'. The 27-year-old Norwegian said, "It was important for me to come up here for training on Tuesday, I have had two training sessions and have got to know all the players.I saw Dortmund play Rosenborg in the Champions League, so I know something about them as well. It is going to be a massive game but the Rangers fans shouldn't worry. Their hopes are in safe hands."

Tuesday 23rd November 1999

Former Rangers boss Walter Smith has thrown the club a UEFA Cup lifeline after agreeing to loan them Norwegian international keeper Thomas Myhre. The Everton boss agreed to let Myhre join on a months loan deal to solve Rangers goalkeeping crisis. With Stefan Klos and Lionel Charbonnier injured and Antti Niemi on loan to Charlton, UEFA granted the Ibrox club permission to register a short term solution. And Myhre was delighted to take the chance: "When the manager asked me if I wanted to join Rangers for a short period I said yes straight away. This is a much bigger challenge for me than reserve football and I can't wait to face Dortmund. I've been out injured and I was beginning to fear for my place at Euro 2000. But hopefully I will get the chance to play first-team football again and show people that I can still perform on the big stage." However Stefan Klos was hopefull he would be available for the clash with his former club with the help of a specially designed glove. "I'm prepared to do anything to play in the game with Dortmund. Hopefully, the doctor will give me the all-clear to play with the special glove and if I need to I will have a few painkilling injections. In my mind I have done it already so there is no reason why I can't do it again."

Monday 22nd November 1999

Rangers were given special permission from UEFA to launch a dramatic search for an emergency goalkeeper for Thursday's European date with Borussia Dortmund at Ibrox. Without injured first-choice Stefan Klos and his immediate deputy Lionel Charbonnier, Rangers were left without a registered keeper for the UEFA Cup third round first-leg tie as Antti Niemi is tied to a loan deal at Charlton. Now, after representations to UEFA, Rangers have been told they have until before kick-off to sign another keeper for the game, with manager Dick Advocaat now likely to recruit an established player on a short-term basis. A Rangers statement read: "Following the injury of goalkeeper Stefan Klos, the club contacted UEFA today highlighting the problem for our UEFA Cup match against Borussia Dortmund on Thursday. We currently have six keepers registered at Rangers and from these only Mark Brown is available for selection. Klos, Charbonnier and Alan McGregor are injured. Niemi is on loan to Charlton and Graeme Smith would not be eligible. After discussions with UEFA they have allowed the club to register another keeper in time for the match on Thursday evening." Rangers director-secretary Campbell Ogilvie tonight revealed the club approached UEFA explaining their position and now have until Thursday to draft in another keeper. He said: "An emergency loan deal is the most probable outcome, but it's over to Dick Advocaat now. I don't know if he has any specific choices in mind already." Earlier today Rangers had learned they must wait until Wednesday before discovering whether they can recall Niemi from Charlton to solve their goalkeeping crisis. UEFA rules regarding cross-border loan deals stipulate any arrangement must be for a minimum of three months, but the Ibrox club today applied for special dispensation for Niemi. A UEFA spokesman said today: "There has been contact with the club (Rangers) and the Scottish Football Association and we will reach a decision in 48 hours. Nothing will be announced before then and the clubs involved will be the first to be informed. This is an unusual situation but it is not unprecedented." Should Advocaat find a replacement within the next few days the need for Niemi will be less vital, but he could yet feature on the bench when Dortmund visit. Rangers' fear was being forced to field 18-year-old Brown for the match with only two first-team games behind him, but that scenario should now be averted. There is only a slim prospect of German international Klos featuring against his former club because of a hairline fracture to a wrist and while no final decision has yet been made he is rated very doubtful. It is understood the player had hoped to play through the pain barrier with the aid of a specially-made glove, but that will need to be agreed by Rangers club doctor Gert Jan Goudswaard.

Saturday 20th November 1999

Rangers face Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Cup next Thursday with manager Dick Advocaat in the middle of a goal-keeping crisis. He was forced to field fourth choice Mark Brown in Saturday's 2-0 defeat of Hibs at Ibrox. Stefan Klos suffered a hand injury in training on Friday while Lionel Charbonnier is already sidelined with a thigh injury. Klos' fitness will be assessed on Monday and Advocaat may try to recall Antti Niemi from Charlton where he is currently on loan. The Ibrox boss said: "I don't want to say too much about the situation until Monday when we will know how Klos is. It is pointless to talk about Niemi's situation until we see the extent of Klos' injury. Charbonnier has no chance of making the game." Also out of Thursday's UEFA Cup game are Sergio Porrini (injury) and Lorenzo Amoruso (suspension). Dick Advocaat has warned that his players must find their shooting boots ahead of Thursday's game with Dortmund. "We played some excellent football in the first 75 minutes. We created so many chances but scoring goals is down to not only the strikers but the midfielders as well. We gave the ball away in the last 15 minutes and that was disappointing from my point of view. But some of our players were tired after playing for their countries through the week. We should have scored more goals and we have to take them when we play Dortmund as you don't get many chances at that level."

Friday 19th November 1999

Derby boss Jim Smith's £5million swoop for Rangers centre-back Colin Hendry and Celtic midfielder Craig Burley fell through on Friday. The Derby boss, who has been in management for more than 30 years, explained: "It's the most frustrating time I've had in my career. I've never had so much money before and I can't spend it! We made bids for Colin Hendry and Craig Burley that were accepted but there's no going back. You just have to draw a line when they keep coming back for more. I'm not prepared to discuss any clauses or financial details but they would both have been handsomely paid to the tune of better pay than they're earning in Scotland. We would have paid those guys a lot of money - we're disappointed it wasn't enough. We didn't get that close to Craig Burley in terms of contractual talks because there were some payments he thought would be coming from Celtic and they weren't, and he obviously wouldn't move if that was the case. He put certain suggestions to us and we felt we had gone as far as we wanted to go. It was pretty much a similar thing with Colin really. We had discussions, as we always do, and the player might say we moved the goalposts. But it was to do with a clause we have in every contract that he wasn't happy with. It's a clause we think has to go in every contract and we stick by it. It can't change for any player."

Wednesday 17th November 1999

Rangers 2nd leg of the UEFA Cup clash with Borussia Dortmund has been brought 2 days to suit German TV. The game now takes place on Tuesday 7th December with a 1730 GMT kick-off. The first leg at Ibrox on 25th November kicks-off at 2030 GMT.

Tuesday 16th November 1999

Rangers have returned to Euro rivals FC Haka to sign 24-year-old Finnish international Tero Pentilla. The Ibrox club defeated Haka 7-1 on aggregate but boss Dick Advocaat was suitably impressed with Pentilla to return and offer him a deal. The central defender has signed a three and a half year deal and arrives for a fee of £300,000.

Monday 15th November 1999

Colin Hendry confirmed that, avoiding any major hitches he will leave Rangers on Thursday to sign for Derby County. "Unless anything changes - and in football anything is possible - I will be going down there to sign on Thursday. You never take anything for granted until the contract is finally signed, and discussions are taking place between the club and my advisers. But hopefully it will all be sorted out on Thursday," said Hendry.

Friday 11th November 1999

Rangers supporters travelling to Germany for the UEFA tie face an early kick-off at around 6pm.There are four other matches in Germany that night as the Ibrox side face Borussia Dortmund on December 9, and suggestions coming from Germany at the moment say they prefer the earlier start.As would Rangers as they could fly home directly after the game, rather than wait as they did when playing against Bayern Munich in the last tie in Europe.

Thursday 11th November 1999

Giovanni Van Bronckhorst is out of Rangers' SPL clashes against Dundee and St Johnstone. The Dutch midfielder was last night hit with a two-game suspension by SFA disciplinary chiefs after his booking in Sunday's Old Firm success over Celtic took him over the points limit. Ibrox manager Dick Advocaat will be without the 24-year-old playmaker for the home game against Dundee on Sunday, November 28, and the trip to McDiarmid Park six days later. Van Bronckhorst will, however, be available for the CIS Insurance Cup-tie at Aberdeen on December 1, as the suspension takes effect for SPL matches only. Rangers' home match with Dundee has been put back by 24 hours, to Sunday November 28th, to allow the side an extra day to recover after their UEFA Cup clash against Borussia Dortmund on Thursday, November 25.

Tuesday 9th November 1999

Dick Advocaat has turned down offers from foreign clubs including a £2 million-a-year salary to join Real Madrid to replace John Toshack. The Dutch coach has told chairman David Murray all about the moves behind closed-doors to tempt him away from Ibrox. Advocaat is currently thought to earn around half per annum of what the Spanish giants are said to be offering. But Murray said this morning: "Although we have a contract with Dick, there's an honesty between us and a relationship which is far more important to me. He's made me fully aware that certain parties have been in touch and informed right away he has no interest in leaving Rangers." Antti Niemi has joined Charlton Athletic on a three-month loan deal with a view to making the move permanent. The Finnish keeper has competed at international level and will be eager to impress Charlton boss Alan Curbishley in the hope of a longer contract being offered. But Rangers may be forced to include a clause to recall Niemi because French keeper Lionel Charbonnier was injured in Rangers win over Celtic at Livingston last night. Nevertheless, the move to London is a chance to get some much needed first team action as the player is desperate to move away from Ibrox as he sees no future there now. The 27-year-old shot stopper has previously played for HJK Helsinki and FC Copenhagen before joining Rangers in 1997.

Sunday 7th November 1999

Rangers have won the first old firm game of the season 4 - 2 in a thrilling encounter at Ibrox. They finished the first half even on 2 - 2. Johansson opened the scoring, then two goals from Berkovic gave Celtic the lead. In injury time in the first half Jorg Albertz levelled the scores with a well struck penalty, given for Lambert's tackle on him which resulted in Paul being stretchered off with a head knock. The story of the second half was very different as Rangers dominated. It always looked like they would score more than they did, but they settled for another two goals. Amoruso hitting one from a free kick and Amato getting the fourth, rounding Gould and passing the ball into an empty net.

Friday 5th November 1999

Rangers have been rocked by the news that striker Michael Mols has been ruled out for the rest of the season with cruciate knee ligament damage. The Dutchman picked up the injury during the 1-0 defeat against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, but the full extent of the injury has only just been revealed. Dick Advocaat has revealed he will not be seeking a replacement. Rangers have been drawn at home to Borussia Dortmund in the third round of the UEFA Cup. That means a quick return to Germany as they try to progress and wipe out the defeat against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Dortmund are a serious force in Europe but Stephan Klos and Jorg Albertz will know all about them.

Thursday 4th November 1999

Michael Mols is expected to be out of action until New Year after suffering a serious knee injury in the 1-0 defeat against Bayern Munich. The Dutch hitman, signed for £4m from Utrecht, was carried off after 28 minutes when he collapsed in agony after racing for a loose ball on the touchline with Munich keeper Oliver Kahn. Mols, who has hit 14 goals so far this season, was taken to hospital for a scan. Dick Advocaat commented: "We'll know more on Thursday but it looks a bad injury and he could be out for months." Giovanni van Bronkhurst claimed Mehmet Scholl dived at the penalty incident that cost Rangers the draw they needed last night. And those feelings were backed by Dick Advocaat. "It was a very cheap penalty," he said afterwards as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "Sometimes you need a bit of luck for your team but from the referee as well. We had a good case for one when Claudio Reyna's shot was handled but we didn't get it. I never usually compliment my team after a defeat but I did so tonight.I am very proud of the way they played against one of the top teams in Europe. I think we proved a few people wrong tonight, that Scottish football is not all about kick and rush. You can see the experience of Bayern but after the first 15 minutes I thought we controlled the game. I know we are being complemented on the way we played. But I would rather play badly and get through." Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld reckons Rangers could go on and win the UEFA Cup now they are out of the Champions' League. And that's not patronising talk from one of Europe's most respected managers either. He said last night: "There are many high calibre teams in the UEFA Cup but Rangers are capable of winning it. I am very satisfied to be in the last 16 but I know we were very lucky to win this match. "I am not surprised at how Rangers played. They are a team of great substance and one of the top clubs in Europe. We didn't play that well defensively as one or two of my players were nervous. There was pressure on them with two German clubs being eliminated from the Champions League last night."

Tuesday 2nd November 1999

Claudio Reyna claimed he is ready to face Bayern Munich tomorrow despite not playing for many weeks after a hamstring problem. And haven't Rangers missed him since that injury forced him to sit on the sidelines with a torn hamstring. But he has been training with the first team and despite not having played any games during his recovery period, he reckons he's fit enough to play, probably at the expense of Andrei Kanchelskis tomorrow. But Reyna admitted beating Munich is only half the problem. Beating the referee is the other half. He said: "Maybe it's out of respect for Bayern, but they always seem to get the decisions when they play at their own ground. Maybe it's just that the Germans are good at getting free-kicks and penalties. We simply can't afford to approach this game looking for a draw."

Monday 1st November 1999

Jorg Albertz, Rod Wallace and Neil McCann will be available for Wednesday's crucial Champions League game in Munich, after missing the Aberdeen game through injury. Wallace will be hoping to replace Saturday's hat-trick hero Johansson saying, "It was a great hat-trick for JJ and it keeps everyone on their toes. Hopefully I will be selected on Wednesday and hopefully get a few goals." Albertz will also hope that his start against Bayern at Ibrox means that Advocaat will also give him a place in the starting line up for the away leg. Giovanni van Bronckhorst dismissed Bayern's five goal defeat of Wolfsburg as insignificant to Wednesday, "We scored five too. I think it's a game that is totally different from the domestic games that they play and we play, so any score is possible. We have to get good tactics and play very strong and very aggressive no matter where you play. If you play aggressive and real sharp I think you have got to do well." Rangers are set to demand at least £100,000 from the SFA following an injury to Colin Hendry against Bosnia. The big stopper hasn't played since and under the rules, the Ibrox club can demand compensation. Hendry insisted last night he never failed a medical at Derby County as he never had one as his knee was swollen, but said he's pass one without any doubt now. But Derby will wait another few days before asking him to return to Pride Park to see if he's recovered from that knock against Bosnia that could keep him out of the England Euro 2000 play-off matches as Craig Brown said the decision will now be taken out of Hendry's hands.