Dick Advocaat believes his team, not Celtic, possess the top-class pedigree in the run-up to the first Old Firm derby of the season. On the day the UEFA Cup draw threw up a re-run of Rangers' greatest ever European night, Advocaat urged fans to consider more recent events. Celtic won three of the four Old Firm derbies last season on their way to lifting all three domestic trophies. As a result, Martin O'Neill's team - Rangers' opponents at Ibrox on Sunday - have now embarked on their first ever Champions League group stage campaign. But Advocaat pointed out that his squad can boast more experience in that competition and overall, under the Dutchman, still have the edge in derby clashes. Advocaat insisted:
"We have done it before. We played in the Champions League the last two years. We know what we can expect and it will be a very tight game between two good teams. Both teams have respect for each other, that's important. Let's see who will be the best. If you look at the balance, for me, I still think I am staying on the right side result-wise."

Advocaat's players had struggled to dispose of Anzhi but the manager insisted that game would have no bearing on the events of Sunday. He said:
"I don't think players need confidence for a game against Celtic. I think for a manager games against Celtic are always easy (to prepare for) because they have to bring the best out of themselves and have the crowd behind them. That will happen, definitely. It doesn't matter how we played yesterday - the most important thing was that we got a result and we got one. I'm not scared about the game on Sunday. I want to win it. The four-point gap was the result of two draws so anything can still happen. We want to win, definitely, but they want to win as well."

Advocaat has welcomed Claudio Reyna and Michael Mols back into the squad following injury but new signings Shota Arveladze and Michael Ball have insufficient match practice after lay-offs of their own to be considered. Advocaat said:
"We had a light training session this morning and tomorrow we have another so we will have to see which players are available."

Rangers will be hoping to turn the clock back to a night of European glory 29 years ago when they face Dynamo Moscow in the second round of the UEFA Cup. Dick Advocaat's men came through a tricky one-off tie with Anzhi Makhachkala in Poland on Thursday night. And their reward for the 1-0 win is a clash with Dynamo Moscow - a repeat of the 1972 Cup Winners' Cup final which the Light Blues won 3-2. The Russian side booked their place in the second round with a narrow 1-0 aggregate success over Maltese outfit Birkirkara. The first leg of the two-legged contest will take place at Ibrox on October 18, with the second leg two weeks later in Russia. Advocaat said:
"Again it will be another long flight, three or four hours to Moscow. But it's the way we have to do it. We can't complain. All I know is that they are in the middle of the table so in that respect they compare a little bit with Anzhi. We have the possibility to watch them twice so that makes it a little bit easier, plus the fact it will be two games and we know where we have to play. That will be totally different to the Anzhi match."

Rangers have been handed a home tie against Ian McCall's Airdrie in the Third Round of the CIS Insurance Cup. Dick Advocaat's men will be confident of progressing to the latter stages of the competition, but will have to be on their guard against in-form Airdrie who claimed the scalp of Premier League Motherwell on Tuesday night. The game will be played on Tuesday, October 9 with a 7.45pm kick-off.

Kenny Miller will be out for six to eight weeks with a broken collar bone after been stretchered last night. The youngster, who is on loan from Rangers, fell awkwardly in a challenge with Nottingham Forest's Wales international defender Christian Edwards and was rushed to hospital. It was thought Miller may have only damaged his cartilage, which would have meant a short-term lay-off, but Wolves' worst fears have now been realised. Miller's injury is likely to pave the way for either Adam Proudlock or Cedric Roussel to face Rotherham on Saturday, but Dave Jones may be tempted to enter the transfer market once again. That is likely to mean the end of Miller's loan spell with Wolves, with whom he was beginning to enjoy his football again. He will return to Scotland to begin his recuperation and will be back at Ibrox much quicker than expected.

Lorenzo Amoruso has signed a new contract which will tie him to the club until 2004. The 30-year-old has put an end to any uncertainty over his future by putting pen to paper on the two-year extension. Amoruso had been linked with a number of moves away from Glasgow - most notably to Sunderland and West Ham - but has finally pledged his future to the club. Amoruso told rangers.co.uk:
"It's very pleasing to tie up my future. I always wanted to stay with Rangers and I'm pleased to have sorted things out with the club. I know I said at the end of last season that I wanted to leave but the chairman, the manager and I have had discussions and all parties are happy that I extend my contract. I'm here now for a further two years after next summer and I'm delighted with that. I think it shows that Rangers intend to move on as a club. We intend to do well in Scotland as well on as go on and improve our results in Europe. This was important for me and I'm ecstatic my career will now continue at Ibrox."

Rangers' one-off tie with Anzhi Makhachkala in the UEFA Cup first round will be staged in Poland, UEFA announced today. The match will now take place at the home of Poland's UEFA Cup hopefuls Legia Warsaw a week tomorrow, September 27. Rangers will pit their wits against Anzhi in the 15,000-capacity Legia Stadium, where they will hope that they have far too much ability for opponents who would have been hoping for different publicity ahead of their first European tie. The match will be screened live on BBC Scotland.

Rangers will play their UEFA Cup first round tie against Anji Makhachkala of Dagestan as a single match at a neutral venue on September 27. The first leg was due to be played in the troubled Dagestan republic on Thursday but Rangers had refused to travel. UEFA said on Tuesday the decision had been taken after insurance cover on Rangers was withdrawn and "military developments over the last 24 hours in the border area between Chechnya and Dagestan". Russian troops fanned out across Chechnya on Tuesday after the region's second town, Gudermes, came under rebel attack. Despite having appeals rejected by UEFA, the Scottish club had said it would not travel for the first leg in the troubled republic after advice from the British Foreign Office. The former Scottish champions had requested the game be staged at a neutral venue and the decision to reschedule last Thursday's UEFA Cup matches following the attacks in New York and Washington created breathing space for a solution. UEFA chief executive Gerhard Aigner said in a statement:
"We have continued to closely monitor the security situation in the region which has clearly deteriorated over the last 24 hours. In addition, we have now been informed that the insurance cover for Rangers FC has been withdrawn. In light of these developments, and to be fair to both the clubs concerned, we have decided that this match should be played as a single tie at a neutral venue on Thursday 27 September. UEFA has a responsibility to all of the clubs and territories involved in our competitions and a duty to protect the draw and the rules of the competition. We also have a duty to ensure that participants can play safely and securely. Throughout this process we have taken independent advice and guidance, closely monitored all relevant developments and continued to speak with those who have raised concerns. Our approach has been endorsed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and we have to ensure that precedents are not set which may then be open to abuse. In this case the balance has shifted over the last 24 hours due to a changing security and insurance situation and we believe it is in the interest of the clubs and the competition that the match now be rescheduled."

David Murray told rangers.co.uk:
"I consider this to be a fair and even-handed compromise taking all matters into consideration. We now look forward to a sporting contest and hopefully we can now go on and win the match. Rangers fully appreciate the major dilemma caused to UEFA and fully support this decision to resolve the matter in an even-handed manner. We would re-emphasise our previous comments that, throughout this debate, FC Anzhi have acted entirely properly and been extremely courteous and have themselves no responsibility for the issues raised. We look forward to a sporting contest. We would take this opportunity of thanking the United Kingdom government, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, The Scottish Executive, Scottish Parliament and Executive, The Scottish Football Association, Scottish Premier League Limited, the Media and, most importantly, the individual expressions of support from our fans throughout this difficult time."

The venue for the match will be announced by UEFA tomorrow.

Michael Ball's recovery from a knee injury is near to completion with the defender making his first outing in Rangers colours last night. Ball was signed in a £6.5million deal from Everton almost two months ago, but arrived in Glasgow still recuperating from a summer operation which repaired damage to his knee. However, the England international has been working hard on the training pitch in order to build up his basic fitness levels and he was rewarded with an outing with Rangers Under-21s in their match with Kilmarnock. Ball looked composed and assured throughout last night's 2-0 victory over Killie at Dumbarton's Strathclyde Homes Stadium and he should be ready for a first-team debut in the very near future. There were unsurprisingly signs of rustiness from Ball but that will soon disappear as he regains his match sharpness after his total competitive inactivity so far this season. Indeed, Ball even had a hand in Rangers' second goal. It was his pass which set up Russian Andrei Kanchelskis for the clinching goal, after Tero Pentilla had earlier given The Light Blues the lead. This weekend's match with Dundee United is likely to come too quickly for Ball to make his SPL debut but he may be in line for a baptism of fire in the forthcoming Old Firm game at Ibrox on September 30. He said:
"It was great to get my first game after all this time. I'm back ahead of schedule and there's been no reaction from the knee. Hopefully my fitness will keep coming along and it won't be too long before I play for the first team."

The match also saw a return to first-team action for summer signing Christian Nerlinger, who has been out of action since the home leg of Rangers' first Champions League qualifier with NK Maribor. The former Borussia Dortmund man played for 66 minutes before he was replaced.

Rangers have received backing from local MSP Gordon Jackson has called for political intervention in the club's Uefa Cup crisis. Govan MSP Jackson backs the club's renewed bid to have next Thursday's first-round first-leg tie with Anzhi Makhachkala moved to a neutral venue. Jackson said:
"For Uefa to force any team to travel to this part of Russia is beyond belief. I find this decision incredible and unacceptable."

David Murray will continue his fight with UEFA over the staging of the UEFA Cup tie in war-torn Dagestan. The Ibrox club received confirmation that their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland had been rejected on Tuesday night in what appeared to be the last throw of the dice in attempting to change the venue. Murray is determined that his side will not travel to the region without full guarantees on security. However the Ibrox supremo is set for a Mohammed-meets-the-mountain tussle with the European governing body who have insisted that the tie goes ahead in Makhachkala when the competition resumes after today's postponements. Murray believed that the horrific aftermath of the terrorist assault on the United States was further proof of the dangers of terrorism, which is rife in the Dagestan region. But UEFA have ordered the game to be played and appear to be unshakeable in that belief. However Murray believes that the appeal to the CAS has given him renewed hope that he will not have to withdraw his club from the competition and face the subsequent fine and suspension from future European club tournaments. Murray said:
"We have also received detailed information on UEFA's submission to the court, which has brought certain new information to our attention. The club is taking further advice on this matter and considering the detailed implications."

But the options appear to be receding for the Ibrox club with UEFA determined not to back down. The postponements have given the club more time to plan their next move however and Murray hinted that another legal challenge could be mounted. An appeal to the Court of Human Rights has been mooted as one possibility. But UEFA remain stubborn on the matter leaving Murray with a potentially difficult choice. A UEFA statement read:
"UEFA today received written confirmation from the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne that the appeal made by Rangers to the court had been dismissed. In light of the decision of the court, UEFA now expects the UEFA Cup match between Anzhi Makhachkala and Rangers to take place in accordance with the rules of the competition. This match will now be scheduled for a suitable future date, which will be announced in the near future."

The Ibrox club have received backing from both Inter and AC Milan in their battle with UEFA. Internazionale sporting director Giuliano Terraneo said:
"We would consider very carefully whether or not to go in the circumstances. If we did not feel our safety was guaranteed, we would do exactly as Rangers have done and refuse to travel then appeal the matter."

Milan director of communications Vittorio Mentana added:
"We would give the matter similar consideration. In Italy, we had a problem when the national team had to go to Georgia, where the brother of one of our players, Kakhaber Kaladze, had been kidnapped. Naturally our association was concerned and they only ended up travelling after the Georgian government guaranteed us 6000 police and troops just to look after the team."

Former Rangers winger Alex Scott has died at the age of 64. Scott, who made his name as a winger during the 1950s and early 1960s, passed away last night with his family by his side after a short illness. During his time at Ibrox, Scott made 331 appearances and showed his ability to find the back of the net when he scored 108 goals during that time. He had the daunting task of replacing Willie Waddell on the right wing but went on to enjoy a successful career in the years that followed at the Govan club. While wearing the light blue of Rangers, Scott won four League Championship medals and a Scottish Cup medal and helped land the League Cup for the club twice - but the signs had always been promising after he scored a hat-trick in his first match - a 4-1 win against Falkirk in March 1955.

But the arrival of Willie Henderson ultimately led to Scott's departure from Rangers and he signed for Everton for a fee of £39,000 in 1963. Again, he enjoyed domestic success during his time at Goodison Park and won the league title in season 1962-63 and followed that up with an FA Cup win in season 1965-66.

He was capped 16 times for Scotland - making 11 appearances for the national team during his time at Rangers.

An impressive winger, he featured in the Rangers team that went all the way to the European Cup Winners Cup final in 1961 but the Ibrox side lost 4-1 on aggregate to Fiorentina and Scott scored their only goal.

Until the prolific goalscoring exploits of Ally McCoist in 1996-97, he shared the Rangers record of 12 European goals with Ralph Brand and Jimmy Millar.

After his spell with the Toffees, Scott returned north to Scotland to sign for Hibernian in 1967 and spent the early part of the 1970s playing for hometown team Falkirk. When he retired from football, Scott went into business with his younger brother Jim, who played for Hibernian, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Falkirk.

UEFA have postponed all tonight's Champions League games and tomorrow's UEFA Cup games as a mark of respect following the terrorist attack on the USA

David Murray is set to pull Rangers out of the UEFA Cup after the Court of Arbitration in Sport sided with UEFA's decision to play Thursday night's game with Anzhi Makhachkala in Dagestan. In a statement, the Court said:
"By decision rendered this night by the deputy president of the CAS ordinary arbitrary division, the application by Rangers FC has been dismissed."

David Murray stated that he was not prepared to put his staff and players at possible risk by sending them to an area which the British Government's Forgien Office had deemed unsafe.

Should Rangers withdraw from the competition they will almost certainly face punishment from UEFA including the possibility of a 2 year ban from Europe competition

Rangers have appealed against Uefa's ruling that Thursday's Uefa Cup tie against Anzhi Makhachkala must go ahead in Dagestan. Chairman David Murray stopped short of carrying out his earlier threat to pull the club out of the competition if Rangers were forced to travel the Russian province. But it was clear Murray was not happy with Uefa's decision to give the green light to the first round, first leg match. Murray warned Uefa he was prepared take the matter to the Court of Arbitration in Sport, the Swiss-based independent body who settle sporting disputes. Murray wants assurances that his staff will be 100 per cent safe in Dagestan and is pressing for a compromise and for the match to be switched to another Russian city. The Ibrox chairman said:
"We are disappointed that Uefa have not accepted the seriousness of the advice which we have received against travelling to Dagestan. We understand Uefa's reluctance to interfere with the normal arrangements of a competition but still firmly believe that the balance of information available to us has led to a risk assessment of an unsatisfactory nature. The safety of the club's employees remains our foremost consideration. There are still appeal procedures which are open to the club and these are being pursued vigorously. These discussions are extremely delicate and could ultimately lead to an approach to the Court of Arbitration in Sport."

Dick Advocaat's side are due to meet Anzhi Makhachkala in the Dagestani capital, which is close to war-torn Chechnya and has been rocked by car bombs in the past few days. The Foreign Office have advised Britons not to go there after Westerners were kidnapped. Rangers had asked for the game to be moved to another venue, but Uefa rejected the application.

Rangers have been told their match against Anzhi Makhachkala will be played on Thursday in Dagestan, despite the club's safety concerns. Rangers had asked for the game to be moved to another venue because of social unrest in the Russian province. But Uefa have rejected the application. A Uefa statement said:
"Following written confirmation last night of both the insurance cover obtained by Rangers FC and the travel arrangements now in place, Uefa confirms that the match should go ahead as scheduled. We are therefore unable to grant the club's request for a relocation of the tie. Uefa faces difficult decisions in playing football in several parts of its territory and we have to assess a wide range of issues and safety provisions on each occasion. Having completed our consultations in this instance and in light of the steps already taken by the Russian authorities to guarantee security, we must now request that this match proceed in accordance with the draw and the rules of the competition."

UEFA are still discussing whether or not Rangers should head to Dagestan for Thursday's match with FC Anzshi.

Rumours that Rangers defender Scott Wilson will shortly be joining the Addicks are wide of the mark, according to the club's management. Alan Curbishley said:
"Since the injury to Richard Rufus we have been inundated with calls from agents talking up the players they represent. Any rumours coming from agents at this time are purely speculative. At no point have I, or the club, made an inquiry about Scott Wilson."

Michael Mols has had three-match suspension confirmed by Uefa after Rangers opted not to appeal against his dismissal in the game against Fenerbahce. The Dutchman was dismissed by Swiss official Urs Meier for kicking out at Samuel Johnson during the Champions League qualifier at Ibrox. Mols subsequently apologised for his actions and will now miss the opening round of the Uefa Cup against FC Makhachkala after sitting out the second leg against the Turkish side. The Uefa appeals body confirmed the ban after the club and the player withdrew their appeal "without conditions and reservations" earlier this month.

Uefa have admitted Rangers are having problems insuring their players for the trip to war-torn Dagestan. The European footballing body is refusing to switch the first round Uefa Cup tie against Anzhi Makhachkala - despite a bomb explosion in the area earlier this week. The Foreign Office say travel to that part of Russia should be avoided. That advice, along with recent events in the area, means that the Ibrox club are struggling to find someone to insure their multi-million pound squad. Mike Lee, Uefa's Director of Communications, sais:
"I'm aware that Rangers are having problems getting their players insured. Campbell Ogilvie has been in touch from Makhachkala today to discuss the situation. The insurance problems are something Rangers will have to work on although, at this stage, there is no set procedure as to what Uefa does should the club tell us they are unable to get their players covered."

Wolves have completed the signing of Kenny Miller on a 3 month loan deal. Milller has been unable to break into the first team this season and hopefully the loan spell will give him some valuable first team football. Molineux Chief executive Jez Moxey said:
"If all goes well Kenny will be available to play at Deepdale on Saturday and the need to have him on board was heightened by the injury to George Ndah on Monday evening. I should stress, however, that Kenny joining us on loan will not preclude us from pursuing a further striker on a permanent basis but having someone of his quality around can only be of benefit to us."

Uefa is monitoring the situation after a bomb exploded on a railway line in Makhachkala - where Rangers travel for their Uefa Cup tie next Thursday. Nobody was injured in the blast, believed to have been the work of Chechen rebels, but Rangers' trip to Dagestan could now be in doubt. Uefa's Mike Lee said:
"We are currently in the process of getting further information about these events."

Rangers have ruled out another bid for Seth Johnson after Derby County rejected a £6million offer for the England international. Light-Blues chairman David Murray was quoted on Tuesday as saying that as far as he was concerned negotiations for the midfielder were over. He said:
"We made Derby an offer of £6million and they rejected that and, as far as we are concerned, the issue has now been put to bed."

Rangers say Derby have been silent since their most recent bid 10 days ago. Murray said:
'They rejected that offer and we have not heard from them since."

Rangers, who recently bought another young England international, Michael Ball, 21, from Everton, first approached Derby about Johnson last season.