SEPTEMBER 1999

Wednesday 29th September 1999

Rangers' stunning victory in the Champions League has sparked a furious inquest in Holland. Dutch legend Johan Cruyff was hugely critical of PSV after they had been floored by a goal from Jorg Albertz in the 84th minute. Cruyff told TV viewers: "Rangers deserved to win, no question of that in my mind. PSV are not good enough to play at this level because they don't know how to play total football. Rangers showed greater maturity on the night and worked hard for their victory." Claudio Reyna has a hamstring pull and will miss the next six weeks, according to coach Dick Advocaat. The player was subbed in 24 minutes at the Philips Stadium in Holland last night, paving the way for German Jorg Albertz to strut his stuff to great effect. But Reyna has played a key role since arriving from Wolfsberg last season and will be sorely missed. Advocaat said last night: "Reyna has a problem with a hamstring and he could be out for five to six weeks." Speaking about his return to his old club, he added: "It was a very exciting game and I thought we had a chance by fielding three strikers. In the second half we handled the physical side of things a lot better than PSV." Charlie Miller has completed his move to Watford with the deal eventually costing Watford as much as £550,000. The fee has been set an initial £450,000 but if he clocks up a certain number of appearances then another £100k will have to go to Ibrox.

Tuesday 28th September 1999

In 1978 Rangers went to Eindhoven and inflicted PSV's first home defeat in European competition. Tonight Jorg Albertz's 84th minute strike made it 2 wins out of 2 at the Philips Stadium, Eindhoven Jorg ALbertz was Rangers hero in that match and once again the German midfielder came up with the moment that may be so important to Rangers qualification hopes. Again the goal was as much down to the hard work of Michael Mols as it was to Albertz inch perfect execution. The Dutch striker worked tirelessly all night in his home country, despite the constant attention of two markers. When Mols finally broke away from his two shadows wide on the right, he broke into the box and tried to send the ball goalward only for it to be blocked by the PSV defence. But to counter the cruel luck experienced last week Rangers got their fortunate break when the ball rebounded into the path of the advancing German. Albertz met the ball with his left foot and fired it past Ronald Waterreus to give Rangers what could be a vital three points. Rangers deserved the luck after last week and they earned it with a dogged display away from home. They provided the perfect answer to the questions posed after a poor performance in Valencia saw them start their campaign badly. People queried whether they could truly perform away from Ibrox, and while this was no vintage display, every player fought for the cause in what was a very scrappy match. There was little flow in the first half with the game stumbling through 45 minutes. Neither team established any sort of grip on the game with the ball travelling from end to end with alarming regularity, Rangers had the best of the early stages until Lorenzo Amoruso made the first of several worrying slips. His attempts to dribble the ball from defence were thwarted by Luc Nilis and the Dutch side came close to scoring through hot shot youngster Ruud Van Nistelrooy. With PSV in the ascendency Nilis tried to chip Lionel Charbonnier after accelerating past the Rangers defence into the box. But the lofted shot was misjudged and Charbonnier held easily. With 15 minutes gone Rangers made their first attacking impact as Amoruso headed over from Gio Van Bronckhorst's corner. Reyna then made his final impression on the game when he played a neat one-two with Michael Mols only to be blocked in the box by a last ditch tackle from Nikiforov. Reyna limped off four minutes later to be replaced by eventual hero Albertz. The big German was left on the bench despite scoring three goals in the last two gamesd including one in the Champions' League against Bayern Munich. PSV then mounted some sustained pressure which was wasted when Khoklov blasted over as the Rangers defence looked repeatedly shaky in their attempts to clear the ball. Rangers got back into the game for the remaining 15 minutes of the first half with McCann and Mols missing good chances. McCann broke free from Wallace's pass but the ball ran away from him before he could get in a clean shot. Mols, however may look back with regret on the chance he missed. McCann knocked down Barry Ferguson's cross field pass and the Dutchman took it expertly on his chest befoe firing wide with a weak left foot shot inside the box. The second half was little improved as the ball was constantly given away in midfield with little attacking pressure from either side. PSV coach Eric Gerets made three substitutions as he tried to change the match but it was Rangers substitute Albertz who made all the impact. Dick Advocaat was understandably pleased with his side after Jorg Albertz' late strike securewd three vital points in Eindhoven. "I am pleased with the result and with the way we played. There was not much difference between the sides, they are two teams who like to attack which is very exciting for the crowd, but I think as the game went on, we were a little better physically and that is why we scored." Advocaat was also happy at the effort his side showed. "They all worked very hard and every game like this has pressure. It is an excellent result, but we have to take into consideration that they had four players missing, but still winning your home games is very important. PSV are not out because Munich and Valencia drew so it is still a very tight group."

Monday 27th September 1999

Barry Ferguson has made the trip to Holland ahead of the game against PSV Eindhoven after a scan showed he has no hamstring problems. But he has pain in his lower back caused by a bone that seems to be moving around. Rangers have taken along Derek McInnes just in case the problem, which will receive treatment in Holland in a bid to clear the problem up, doesn't go away. Lorenzo Amoruso, Sergio Porrini and Claudio Reyna are expected to to recalled to the side after being rested at the weekend, with Colin Hendry, Andrei Kanchelskis and Dariusz Adamczuk likely to be the ones that make way. Gabriel Amato has also been drafted into the squad after missing out against St Johnstone. Colin Hendry made his first start of the season on Saturday - but will be back out of the first team picture against PSV on Tuesday. Speaking on behalf of the club as his gaffer Dick Advocaat flew to Holland to watch PSV rattle in six goals on Saturday night, assistant manager Bert van Lingen said: "We changed the team around because of our demanding schedule and in the first half we created good chances. In the second half we scored an excellent goal but there is still room for improvement and still space for us to grow, especially in the Champions' League."

Saturday 25th September 1999

Dick Advocaat left Ibrox early to fly to Holland to watch PSV in action and left Bert Van Lingen in charge of the team. And after seeing Rangers grab a third in their managers absence Van Lingen said he was pleased with the result. "It's all about winning games. The performance in first half was reasonable and we were waiting for the second goal. In the second half we struggled a little, but we created chances and scored twice." With several Rangers players rested van Lingen pointed toward the rigours of playing twice a week as the reason behind it. "It 's quite demanding to appear in both your national competition and in the Champions' League so if we are able to rest players we will do that." With the Champions' League once again looming for Rangers van Lingen says the Ibrox club can win in Holland. "We expect to win of course, we don't have to win in terms of qualifying but we think we are able to win." Jorg Albertz hit two goals as Rangers maintained their 100 percent record in the Scottish premier league with their seventh succssive win on Saturday, 3-1 at home to St Johnstone. Albertz opened the scoring in the 33rd minute and added a penalty 14 minutes after the interval, but St Johnstone fought back with a 61st minute strike by Miguel Simao. Rangers were not to be deterred and Michael Mols made certain of the points with their third two minutes from time.

Friday 24th September 1999

Rangers are set to bring back Neil McCann and Andrei Kanchelskis for Saturday's visit of St Johnstone. Both players had to sit and watch as Rangers dropped a point against Bayern Munich the other night, but could get their chance again as coach Advocaat decides on what players to rest following a remarkable athletic performance against the German champions. Reports in Holland suggest Rangers will play their first game of the new Millennium there against Dutch outfit Nijmegen. They are managed by Scot Jimmy Calderwood and want the Ibrox side to open their new stadium. Of course, like last season, after the winter shutdown, sides are looking for interesting matches to prepare for the restart to the season to sweep away any cobwebs caused by the break, and at the moment, a game in Holland looks an interesting prospect for Dick Advocaat's side. Nijmegen currently play in the Dutch first division. Claudio Reyna could miss a number of matches as his international side demand he plays for them.The USA coach Bruce Arena told reporters he has a great deal of games coming up which includes a couple of tournaments which will eat into Rangers schedule at the start of next season.He said: "We want our European based players involved in these games and that includes Reyna at Rangers and Frankie Hejduk of Bayer Leverksuen." Watford have agreed a fee with Rangers to sign midfielder Charlie Miller.The Rangers player has been on trial at Vicarage Road for the last two weeks and scored in a match specially arranged against Charlton on Wednesday. Boss Graham Taylor was keen to sign Miller after the Scot impressed in the 4-3 win against the Addicks and is thought to have agreed a fee in the region of £500,000 with the Glasgow giants. Miller will be back at Watford to try to thrash out personal terms after the weekend.

Thursday 23rd September 1999

Franz Beckenbauer last night hailed Bayern Munich's draw at Ibrox as the result which can spur his side to Champions League glory. The Bayern president was so impressed with his club's display in Glasgow against a team he believes possess quality and fight in equal measure, he pronounced the result of major significance. Bayern lead Group F on four points, alongside Valencia, and despite grasping only a share of the spoils on Tuesday night, Beckenbauer paid Dick Advocaat's side a major compliment when he said: "If you resist Rangers at Ibrox Park then you are ready for every team in the Champions League, and we could not afford to lose at Ibrox." Rangers have persuaded Arthur Numan to commit the best years of his career to Ibrox by tearing up a get-out clause in his contract. The Dutch international left-back, who returned after injury in Tuesday's 1-1 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich, included the option to leave after one season for a set fee when he arrived from PSV Eindhoven with manager Dick Advocaat in July 1998. But chairman David Murray will sit down with the defender's agent over the next 48 hours to formally re-write Numan's contract to tie him to Govan for the remaining three years of the original four-year deal. Top clubs around Europe have cast solicitous glances in the direction of the 30-year-old, who cost Rangers £5million. But, as Numan and Advocaat now prepare for a return visit to Eindhoven next Tuesday, the former PSV skipper has agreed to a long-term stay with the manager's own contract extension a keystone in the development. Advocaat himself signed until 2002 on the eve of the Scottish Cup Final victory over Celtic in May and qualification for the Champions League this season further convinced Numan to forget any thoughts about an early departure. David Murray said the draw against Munich on Tuesday regained the Ibrox clubs European credibility. And that was backed up by Franz Beckenbaur, who said coming to Glasgow to face Rangers is still the biggest challenge facing any European side. Murray added: "Normal service has been resumed. It was exactly what we were aiming for and proved once again that we can compete with the very best teams in the world. We have now shown with our win over Parma, who were the UEFA Cup winners last season, and the convincing draw against Munich who were just a couple of minutes away from picking up the Champions Cup last may, that we are equal of the top European teams." Michael Mols said today PSV would pay for him missing a couple of sitters against Munich on Tuesday night. The Dutch striker is delighted at having the opportunity of returning to his home country to prove he hadn't made a mistake of joining Rangers rather than stay in Holland, and he said of his missed sitter against German rookie keeper Wessells: "I just snatched at the shot," after making the space to fire in a left-foot drive. "I feel if we play in Holland as we did against Munich then we will win against PSV." PSV said they expect a complete sell-out for the visit of Rangers to the Philips Stadium on Tuesday. There's a reduced capacity for the match, down to some 29,000, and all the briefs are excepted to go later today. Meanwhile, their coach Eric Gerets said he expected to win as his side performed to their very best against Valencia to snatch a point in a game he reckons they should have won.

Wednesday 22nd September 1999

Arthur Numan has left himself open for a ban from UEFA following his outburst at last night's referee, Ryszard Wojcik. It's certain the governing body will ask questions of the Dutch international who said after the last-minute goal by Bayern munich following his foul on Alexander Zickler: "It was never a free-kick. 100% not. All I did was get in front of the striker. But the referee gave the decision to Bayern and they got a lucky goal at the end. The referee is not always right even at international level. I told him the Germans were diving like swallows but he didn't listen. I told him to watch them and he said he was watching them, but still every time they went down they seemed to be given a free-kick." Jorg Albertz claimed Rangers are as good as any side in Europe, and last night's draw with Munich proved that. As most of Germany watched the match on television, including the German international coaching team, Albertz did his chances of an international cap no harm at all with another impressive performance against a top Bundesliga side. But he couldn't hide his disappointment at losing a late goal. He said afterwards: "We worked hard for 60-70 minutes and perhaps people will realise we play at a good standard here as well. But to lose a goal that late was terrible, maybe they feel that they deserved the result they got, but the shot took a deflection and I didn't think it was a free kick in the first place. To be fair to Bayern they put us under pressure in the second-half, but we should've held our lead for the closing minutes. It was nice for me to score the goal, I know my parents were watching at home on television and no doubt celebrating with me when it went in - it's just disappointing it didn't get us victory. Maybe we can't afford to give away any points now, but we're all looking forward to meeting PSV Eindhoven." The Dutch side won a late penalty to draw 1-1 with Valencia, keeping Rangers at the bottom of the table on goal difference. Bayern Munich said they were lucky to get a point last night, but they added it just made up for last season's final defeat to Manchester Utd. But that held no water for Rangers coach Dick Advocaat, who said: "I'm disappointed to have lost the goal so late when it wasn't a free-kick, but when you have the chances we did against a side of that quality you have to take them." Munich's coach Ottmar Hitzfeld referred Advocaat to last season's Cup Final against Manchester United, but did admit his side were maybe a little fortunate to get a point. He said: "We were lucky at the end tonight, but I would have preferred our luck to have been that night in Barcelona. You cannot compare this Rangers side to the one I faced them with Borussia Dortmund three years ago, now they are stronger than before, play with a good style, and are a very dangerous side."

Tuesday 21st September 1999

Bayern Munich stole a lucky late equaliser from a deflected last minute free-kick to deny Rangers a deserved win at Ibrox. Last season's beaten finalists scraped a point with similar never-say-die spirit to that of Manchester United which denied them the trophy last May. Michael Tarnat, the man stood on the post when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer diverted the ball into the roof of the net, hit a free-kick which came off the Rangers wall and left Lionel Charbonnier with no chance. Jorg 'The Hammer' Albertz had earlier dealt a big blow to his countrymen's Champions' League hopes with a great goal. The German rifled an 18-yard left-foot strike past Bayern's fourth choice keeper Stafan Wessels midway through the first half. Claudio Reyna cut in from the right but was fouled, the ball ran on to Albertz who did the rest. Rangers tested Wessels as early as the 30th second when Barry Ferguson threaded Jonatan Johansson in but his effort was blocked by the keeper. The Finn later hit a post while Giovanni van Bronckhorst fired over during Rangers' early dominance of the passionate game. Michael Mols also wasted a good chance to make it more comfortable for his teammates while Brazilian Elber passed up a good scoring chance at the other end. After the break, Bayern looked a much better side and pressed forward for the equaliser. Rangers were under the cosh for a full 20 minutes but survived thanks to no small amount of fortune. However, when the Germans' goal came it was a sickener and hard for boss Dick Advocaat to accept, having watched his side lead for so long. Rangers have 'keeper problems for tonight's Champions' League clash with Bayern Munich at Ibrox as Lionel Charbonnier is doubtful. The under pressure French number one has a back strain and with German first choice Stefan Klos missing injured, Finnish international keeper Annti Niemi stands by. And in his last match for his country, his form was so bad he had to be substituted at half time. Charbonnier will be given every chance to make it, but there's better news for Rod Wallace who has finally recovered from a hamstring worry and is fit again. Dick Advocaat admitted that playing in Spain against Valencia just couldn't be compared to the stroll against Aberdeen, and he won't make that mistake again. Speaking to the media ahead of tonight's crucial tie against Munich, who as always, had their personal coach driven across the continent to meet the players as they arrived in Glasgow, he said: "The Aberdeen game was reasonable for us, but playing away to Valencia was an entirely different world. Maybe if we had played Aberdeen away, it would have been a different story. But at home, apart from the opening match against Kilmarnock, we have found things quite easy. We want to get results, but not many of our players have been in the Champions' League before. We are still rebuilding a squad. Everything went so fast and we were winning and winning, but behind closed doors we knew exactly what we had to do, improve the squad. We should remember that we are counted in the best 32 teams in Europe after one year and 17 replacement players, so that's the first thing. For the moment all I ask is that we be realistic about progress and then we will add more players to the side, but that will be next year."

Monday 20th September 1999

Derek McInnes is expected to move to Norwich this week on loan. A move by Sheffield United has fallen through twice, and now he faces the prospect of playing reserve football at Ibrox for the rest of his contract. But Norwich City are the latest to join the queue to see just what he's all about, and he could go there on loan should he decide that is the best move for him. Of course, it's now well documented that he's on a very lucrative contract with Rangers and any side taking him on would have to at least match his salary of around £5,000 a week. As Bayern Munich were beating Frankfurt at the weekend, they have the added misery of losing their keeper Oliver Kahn tomorrow. And that means they may have to play number four choice Stefan Wessels, who his coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said today: "He's too inexperienced for a match like this!" Kahn was taken off with concussion at the weekend but our information is he could still play at a push. They also have Sven Scheuer out with a back operation recently, and Bernd Dreher was stretcherd off also with a severe knock. Marco Negri faces an operation on his back before he can reclaim his place in Rangers starting line. The Italian striker has been told by Dick Advocaat that there could still be a place for him in the Ibrox first team, with the little Dutchman saying: "Marco returned from Italy with a better attitude and made it clear he wanted to prove himself all over again. Unfortunately, he now has a back problem which will probably require surgery to rectify."

Friday 17th September 1999

Lionel Charbonnier demanded coach Dick Advocaat leave a media conference as he had something more important to say to him. A shocked coach left the waiting press at Ibrox before returning to say: "Lionel is a very demanding boy. Like all players he can get upset about results." It's thought the volatile Frenchman was upset at taking the flak for the two goals that cost Rangers the tie in Spain, and he is clearly upset with the media, who overheard him demand to speak as 'It's more important than talking to journalists'. But Advocaat was quick to back his World Cup star, saying he had saved Rangers in many other games, then continued with his press conference, saying it's not all over yet, and even if they don't beat Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, there's still four more games to go. And anyway, there's still the UEFA Cup if Rangers finish third in their group. Bayern Munich haven't taken up their full ticket allocation for Tuesday night, which means more for Rangers supporters. The club had announced the match was a complete sell-out, but with the returning briefs from germany, if the police can allow it, then there could be a public sale of remaining tickets on Monday for the Broomloan front. Meanwhile, Munich have been rocked by the injury to their striker Paulo Sergio who hit both goals against PSV on Wednesday night. he' set to miss the match at Ibrox unless he has one of the footballing miracle recoveries

Thursday 16th September 1999

Gio Van Bronkhurst admitted Rangers must beat Bayern Munich next Tuesday if they are to have a chance of progressing to the next stage. Substituted in the second half, Gio spoke to the media afterwards, saying: "You have to win your home games to progress in the Champions League so it means we must beat Bayern. We cannot afford to let this prey on our mind. I can't explain what went wrong. Too many of us just did not perform on the night. We have to learn from it if we can. But I am sorry for our fans who were in Spain, but we've played well in Europe many times in the last 18 months. We thought we could get something here but Valencia were better on the night." Dick Advocaat told Rangers supporters there was no shame in losing in Europe, but he was disappointed at his sides performance. "There is no shame in losing an away game at a club like Valencia," he told waiting reporters afterwards, but added: "I am disappointed, however, in the way we gave it all away. If you want success in any game, everyone must put on their best performance. Tonight too many players couldn't do it and that makes a difference. It wasn't a question of nerves with us. It was more about how Valencia played. They were very sharp and we didn't have that same sharpness. They are a quality team. They had three defeats behind them but they showed what an excellent side they are." The Dutch coach said Craig Moore's own-goal summed up the night. "The first goal we lost was a crazy goal. The most important thing in the game is to keep the ball. But we couldn't get it and Valencia were the better side."

Wednesday 15th September 1999

A terrible mix-up between Rangers goalkeeper Lionel Charbonnier and defender Craig Moore gifted Valencia their first goal in a 2-0 European Champions League group F victory on Wednesday. Between them the Rangers pair failed to clear a speculative Juan Sanchez cross close to their own goal line, allowing Kily Gonzalez in to slide home, although the killer touch looked to have come from Moore. Gonzalez added the second on 74 minutes and this time there was no doubt about its origin as he drove in from 12 metres after a neat exchange of passes with Sanchez. The Scottish champions opted for a defensive approach, trying to hit their opponents on the break, but they were slow to get forward and Valencia's Spanish international goalkeeper Santiago Canizares was rarely troubled. Gabriel Amato is ready to face a tough battle against Valencia's star defender and former rival Armedeo Carboni, if selected for tonight's game. That's not a foregone conclusions as Dick Advocaat delays his team selection. But the former Spanish League striker is desperate to play and more importantly as far as he's concerned, regain his Rangers first-team place ahead of the injured Rod Wallace. He said: "Carboni is a very good player. He is very fast and very tough, but I am here to do a job if called on. I am not worried about Carboni and his reputation. In fact perhaps he should worry about me." Conditions are far from ideal for the ball players as the pitch is very rutted, but Amato put that aside, adding: "This has been a lucky ground for me in the past. I've scored a few goals here and won a few games. However the pitch is not famous for good grass. It has always been a problem. It is very bumpy, but if I am in the starting eleven then I can see me spending many years in Glasgow with Rangers. There is not much satisfaction in being on the bench. I could do much better in another team. Until now the season has not gone well for me. But now I have a chance to show what I can do." Inter Milan boss Marcello Lippi has revealed that he was once lined up as Walter Smith's replacement in the Glasgow Rangers hot-seat. The European Cup winner revealed: "I got in touch with Rangers but the offer of employment didn't come direct from the Ibrox chairman. "I refused to think about it because I was under contract with Juventus. I was told by colleagues that Rangers play only four important games a season against Celtic," he added, although he did admit that he felt the Scottish Premier Division was much stronger now. Scotland will have two Champions' League places next season should Scottish clubs continue their European success this week. And what better incentive for the smaller clubs to progress as they chase the Old Firm at the top of the Premier League. As it stands at the moment, Rangers would qualify with Celtic joining them to set up a potential Old Firm clash in Europe, but the chasing pack of Dundee United and Hearts may look at this opportunity to steal a few European pounds by strengthening now to stay at the top. The news was brought by Roger Mitchell of the SPL who said: "Last season was the best in Europe for Scottish clubs for several years with the extended run in the UEFA Cup by Rangers in particular contributing extremely well to our coefficient. Because the UEFA coefficients are calculated over a five-year period last year's score of 5.625 displaced the poor one we achieved in 1993-94 so we've jumped five places. The fact that our score for the coming year will replace another low coefficient of 1.25 in 1994-95 means that if our teams do as well or better as last year we stand a chance of an even bigger leap. We could make the top 12 which is vital as the top dozen countries in the rankings are each guaranteed to have at least two teams bidding to enter the Champions' League via the qualifying stages."

Tuesday 14th September 1999

Sergio Porrini said he was confident that with a bit of luck, Rangers can go all the way in Europe this season. And he reckoned they are as good a side as Manchester United who had all the luck on their side last season. Speaking as his side arrived in Spain last night, he added: "I think Valencia will find a lot of stimulation going into this game. There are no easy games at this level. This is a tough group and you have to go for a win, you cannot play for a draw. That would be foolish. The Champions League is the place to play. The stadiums are full and there is a marvellous atmosphere. Personally I love it. To do well you have to have a little bit of luck. When we won the European Cup, we were not the best team or the strongest team but we got the breaks." He conceded Rangers were under strength without Rod Wallace. Gabriel Amato could deputise.

Monday 13th September 1999

Rangers' Champions' League opponents Valencia remain at the bottom of Primera Liga following a 2-0 defeat at home by Alaves on Saturday. Watched by manager Dick Advocaat, the Spanish champions also had their French defender Jocelyn Angloma injured and he is a doubt for Wednesday night's opening fixture in the Champions League. Their coach Hector Cupar said afterwards that the result was the last thing he needed ahead of the game with Rangers. Rod Wallace remains Rangers only doubt with Gabriel Amato ready to play if selected. But Advocaat may well decide to play with just Michael Mols up front and a five man midfield. Charlie Miller has arrived at Watford on trial with a view to making the move a £1million permanent one. The midfielder currently trains with the younger players at Ibrox and just doesn't feature in any of coach Dick Advocaat's plans it appears, and now he has decided to take the opportunity of a few days at Watford under the eye of former England boss Graham Taylor, who wants to have a closer look at him.

Friday 10th September 1999

Rangers will be without striker Rod Wallace for tomorrow's Premier clash with Aberdeen at Ibrox. But they have defender Arthur Numan available once again. He's likely to have to sit on the bench as it would be unfair to drop Tony Vidmar who's form has been outstanding this season, and in the past, coach Advocaat claimed the player holding down the position will retain his place until his form drops. Numan claimed he is desperate to play, but may be saved for the Champions League clash against Valencia in Spain on Wednesday. Gabriel Amato is in line to start alongside Michael Mols, and don't rule out Jonathan Johansson also starting the match. David Murray this morning dismissed reports he's interested in joining a breakaway Euro League. The commercial manager of Ajax apparently invited clubs from all countries to Holland for talks about starting a new competition, and invited both Rangers and Celtic. The Parkhead men attended, but Murray refused the invitation, adding this morning: "Our ambitions lie with the Champions League, not the Atlantic League." Aberdeen today denied any talks with rivals Rangers over the possible transfer of Eoin Jess. Morning reports claimed the clubs were in secret talks over a £1 million transfer, but Dons chief Stewart Milne denied he had ever spoken to Rangers, and added the player was an important part of Aberdeen's future. Jess himself denied any knowledge of the story.

Thursday 9th September 1999

Rangers have refused to sell Gabriel Amato to Espanol because the Spanish side can't come up with the cash. 'Gers chairman David Murray admitted the clubs had agreed a £3.5 million deal for the player but when asked to match that with a bank guarantee, they failed to do so and Murray pulled out of the deal. And as far as Amato is concerned, he wants away and it's the third deal that has gone sour on him. The reason, apparently, is the number of clubs that still owe Rangers cash for previous transfers, with Murray adding that people would be surprised the clubs involved. Clearly, the ongoing sale of Rino Gattuso is one of those deals, with Murray claiming he's still owed £4.25 million for the player, and despite reporting the teams involved to every governing body around, UEFA have so many complaints that they are finding it difficult to get through them and Rangers will just have to wait. Rangers have refused to deny ENIC are about to sell off their shareholding in the club at a £10 million loss. The financial group are said to be disappointed they cannot have more than one controlling share in any club in Europe, and financial pundits are suggesting they could put up for sale their 25% of the Glasgow giants at a loss of £10 million, selling up for £30 million.

Wednesday 8th September 1999

Gabriel Amato could be on his way out of Ibrox, and heading back to Spain, as his frustration at a lack of first team opportunities continues to grow. The Argentine striker, signed for £4.2m at the beginning of last season, has faced a constant struggle for form and fitness in Glasgow, and now finds himself behind Michael Mols and Rod Wallace in the champions' front-line pecking order. He said: "At the moment all I can say is that the only way I would stay here would be if I was included in the team and had an opportunity to play because I cannot continue like this. You have to respect the decision of the manager but for me it's disappointing because it's hard to maintain your form when you're not playing." Morning reports have suggested Hearts are set to bid £500,000 for Ian Ferguson, but that was denied by Dick Advocaat. Now the Tynecastle side have £8 million in the bank from the Scottish Media Group, there will be constant speculation about who they are trying to sign, and it's not the first time he's been linked with a move east. But Advocaat added he would listen to any offer for the player, which may surprise a few folks inside Ibrox. That said, we understand Fergie's preferred option is a move to England rather than have to face his current side in any other competition. Rangers have confirmed they have sold 110,000 tickets already for the three home matches in the Champions League. 74% of the season ticket holders have already snapped up the £50 package made available to them, and fans have been steadily taking advantage of the £65 per head offer for non-season ticket holders, and it looks like all three games will be a sell-out. The first tie is next Wednesday against Valencia at Ibrox, and coach Dick Advocaat will travel to Spain on Saturday night to see them play. Rangers Chairman David Murray today launched 'Rangers - Ready to Learn' and said he feels the club have a responsibility to give something back to the community. The package is designed for use in the classrooms of Glasgow's primary schools to help in the learning of a range of subjects from maths to social and environmental studies. David Murray explained how the package came about. "We were approached by the city council to be involved in an education program and I feel it's important. In the past talk has been cheap and clubs have been going to do this and do that and football is a big thing in scotland, and I feel we can give some leadership and hopefully help and assist in the education of young children."

Tuesday 7th September 1999

Derek McInnes could once again be on his way to Sheffield United, as the Blades revealed they want to reopen negotiations with Rangers. The deal had all but fallen through last week when, according to reports, the Ibrox side wanted the payment for the player, a paltry £500,000 in today's market, up front. But like many clubs who are against the wall financially, they wanted to play Rangers in instalments. the player had agreed his own terms and hoped the deal would be concluded, but once again he will just have to sit an wait and hope.

Monday 6th September 1999

Colin Hendry seems certain to ask Rangers for a transfer before the turn of the year if he has not by then been able to command at least a semi-regular place in the Ibrox first team. It is understood from murmurs within the Scotland travelling party en route from Sarajevo to Tallinn yesterday that the big defender will review his position in December. If his present status as a non-pick still remains, he will try to continue his career elsewhere. "When I signed," said Hendry, "I didn't expect to become a squad player. But I do want to stay here. Now, I don't expect to be a first pick, because that's been made quite clear to me by the manager. But I think there's a lot to happen in the coming months. The demands of that kind of programme can change things. "I mean, I'm a patient guy, but obviously my pride takes a bit of a kick. I would like to play my way back in to the Rangers team. People think Dick Advocaat and I are at loggerheads, but that's not the case. I have ability and I know that. I would just like the chance to show it." Aberdeen's woeful start to the new campaign will be highlighted by their lack of support for Saturday's trip to Ibrox. The Dons are struggling to bring full support to Ibrox this weekend as their team continues to struggle. Ticket sales for the Broomloan Stand are slow, according to Pittodrie insiders, so it looks like Rangers will suffer financially because of the Dons poor start to the season.

Thursday 2nd September 1999

Rangers have escaped punishment by the Scottish Premier League for their post-match celebrations at the infamous Old Firm match of May 2. The Ibrox club clinched the title at Parkhead then angered Celtic fans by mocking their 'huddle' at the end. The SPL's commission of enquiry met at lunchtime on Thursday and were expected to reconvene again on Friday morning. But they released a statement saying they were unanimous in clearing Rangers of any inflammatory actions.Celtic have already been fined £45,000 by a separate commission into their share of the blame for the hostile scenes which included referee Hugh Dallas being struck by a coin and three players red-carded. The commission was composed of Lord Mackay of Drumadoon (chairman), Lex Gold, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, and William Stewart, who is a partner of law firm MacMillans. Rangers have always protested their innocence and will be delighted at the commission's findings. Rangers have completed a treble of top awards.Hot on the heels of Michael Mols scooping the Dutch player of the year trophy, manager Dick Advocaat and midfield star Claudio Reyna have lifted the season's first manager and player of the month awards. Advocaat has led his side into the Champions' League as well as maintaining a 100% domestic record. Reyna has been a revelation in his new midfield role. The American has bagged five goals already from the middle of the park, including the crucial second against Parma. Their awards come just days after Mols picked up the Dutch golden boot as the country's player of the year last season. He hit twenty goals for FC Utrecht last season and won two caps for the national side. Graeme Souness has threatened to sue The Rangers News over comments which were attributed to him concerning Walter Smith. The former Rangers manager is said to be furious at the way he was quoted in the club tabloid, and has demanded a copy of the tape of the interview. He said last night: "I want to see what was in the Rangers News before commenting. It may involve legal action by me. I've already asked for a tape of the interview and once I see that I'll be consulting my lawyers." Souness has already spoken to Everton boss Smith and he claimed his former partner just laughed the situation off. Souness added: "I'd never be critical of Walter as a man or his ability as a football coach." Michael Mols has become the father of a baby boy, Nino Michael, born in a Glasgow hospital last night. He said he was thrilled at the birth and there were no problems for the baby or his wife who remain in hospital.

Wednesday 1st September 1999

Former Rangers boss Graeme Souness claims that he would have lead the Gers to European Cup glory if he had stayed at Ibrox a little longer. Souness left the Gers for Liverpool in 1991 but claims they could have enjoyed European Cup success if he had remained in the helm. The former Benfica and Southampton boss said: "We got the club going forward in every direction and I suppose I left before we could take that further. If I hadn't left, who knows, Rangers could be a serious force in Europe again." Souness has had a dig at Walter Smith, claiming he failed in Europe where he would have succeeded: "Perhaps I left too soon. We had just completed phase one of the reconstruction - building a team capable of bringing the league title back to Ibrox. The second phase was to progress into Europe and until now Rangers haven't done that." The former player/manager didn't totally condemn Smith, but certainly blew his own trumpet, adding: "We got the club going forward in every direction and I suppose I left the club before we could take Rangers that stage further. If I hadn't left, who knows, Rangers could be a serious force in Europe again." Dick Advocaat might have just a little to say on that score this season. Chelsea and Spurs are reportedly ready to battle it out with Rangers for French international midfielder Christian Karembeu. The 28 year old Real Madrid midfielder has been frozen out by John Toshack at the Bernabau Stadium and is looking for a move to Britain after the success enjoyed by so many of his compatriots. The winger, who can operate on either flank, has reportedly already received a firm offer from Rangers, but reports emanating from the player's agent suggests he favours a move to London. Chelsea see Karembeu, a star of Euro 96, as a useful member of their squad, with Spurs also reportedly making enquiries. The former Nantes and Sampdoria winger will be allowed to leave Madrid for a cut-price £5m. STV are set to show all of Rangers first round Champions Leahue ties live. With games from Holland, Spain and Germany as well as Ibrox, fans who can't make it to the matches will still be able to follow the team. With games in the Champions' League played on Tuesday and Wednesday the ITV network may have two games, but viewers in Scotland will always see Rangers in action. All matches will kick off at 7:45pm British time.