Latest News

Week Beginning 27 September 1997

4 October 1997

Walter Smith has ordered his team to overcome their European defeat against Hibs today. He said, "we have to cast aside any disappointmentafter Tuesday and try to get the result we want from a difficult away game. It would be wrong of me to say that Tuesday's result doesn't have an affect on our players, of course it does, but we can't allow it to affect us. We have to get up and get playing right away. But we have players who have experienced this kind of thing before and I hope that will be enough to get us back on track, not just against Hibs but over the next few weeks."

Rangers have several injury doubts after Tuesday's match. Andy Goram and Brian Laudrup are unlikely to play while Tony Vidmar and Joachim Bjorklund are extremely doubtful. Jorg Albertz may play after missing the Strasbourg match through suspension.

Celtic striker Henrik Larsson has claimed that Wim Jansen has succeeded where Walter Smith has failed. He said, "Walter Smith has been with Rangers for 13 years, as many weeks as Wim Jansen and I think our boss is well ahead. If you look at all the players Rangers have bought, then it doesn't matter how good they are, and they are good players, it takes time for them to gel into a team. We weren't playing as a unit when I came here at the start of the season. There were some misunderstandings then but they've been sorted out."

Strasbourg were paired with Celtic's conquerors Liverpool in the European draw yesterday. Manager Roy Evans said, "our last experience of a trip over there has not been forgotten. Strasbourg are struggling in their league but to beat Rangers home and away is no mean feat. I shall be talking to Walter Smith when we begin our preparations."

3 October 1997

Mark Hateley last night lept to the defence of the Rangers manager after hearing that Walter Smith might resign at the end of the season. Hateley said, "Walter has got nothing to prove but some of the Rangers fans seem to doubt this. Let's face it, it's only when he's gone for good that they'll fully appreciate just what the man has done for that club. A few years from now people will mention the name Walter Smith along with the likes of Jock Stein. He'll go down in history as one of the greatest managers of all time. But, unfortunately, it seems that will only happen when people have the benefit of hindsight. Right now too many have forgotten all about the success Walter has given them."

"All I can say is that Walter is one of the greatest men I have worked with. I can't say a bad word about him. There's not many people in football with his depth of knowledge. He has lived under incredible pressure for a long time and he's clearly now had enough. I really believe Walter can deal with all that and I would like to see him stay put but if he's decided enough is enough with Rangers then I can understand why."

"I've heard people say he has proved nothing as a manager because he has only bought success in Scotland. That's garbage. Others have tried and failed to buy success elsewhere but Walter's record speaks for itself. It's possible that when he leaves Rangers they could go on to have a disastrous couple of years and the very people who want rid of him now will be clamouring to get him back."

"About two years ago, when I left Rangers for the first time, I felt the place had changed for the worse. When I came back at the end of last season it had deteriorated even further. It's interesting to see that Stuart McCall was talking about a lack of camaraderie just a couple of weeks ago. That hurts because it suggests that some of he guys who are pulling on the jersey do not share Walter's passion. Maybe the attitude of some is not what it should be. I've seen some of these players publicly saying their bit and making criticisms. In my time any problems we had were dealt with internally, the way it should be."

"A lot of these new arrivals just don't seem to realise how big a club they are joining. They come from big clubs in Europe and are happy to take the money, but they seem to think they are taking a step down. We came so close to the European Cup in 1993 but when that team started to break up he had to bring in new men. The standards had been set and it became a burden on the club and on the manager. People became bored with winning the league and expected more and more."

"Basically, they were and still are demanding a European trophy. Walter tried again in the summer when he brought in seven or eight new players. There is no way you can make that amount of changes and hope to go storming straight into Europe crushing everything in your path. It takes at least a year, maybe two. Only time will tell if anyone can actually help them make that leap."

Hibs manager Jim Duffy is another who feels that Walter Smith is getting a raw deal from the media and Rangers fans. He said, "If I have a tenth of his success, I'll be happy. Walter has been the best manager in Scotland by a mile. His record down the years speaks wonders. And I think it is very strange that people feel he is not the man for the job. He is a top-class boss and I have nothing but respect for him. Over the entire period he has been at Ibrox, he has set incredibly high standards. Now he is judged by those standards and if he slips at all, it is very difficult for him to escape criticism. Walter has been a tremendous manager and it must be hard to follow his success. He always has time for every other manager as well,which is part of his character."

"I have never known a manager who was sacked because of lack of hard work or effort. Sometimes players should realise that. But the Rangers players want to play for Walter. They know they have let him down and they will be out to make it up to him in the way they know how, by winning the championship.Regardless of the midweek result, Rangers have some great players. Over the last nine years they have set the standards everyone else in Scotland has to follow. Immediately when they get a bad result, they bounce back. That's why they have achieved what they have. Good players rarely have two bad games in a row, that is why they are good players."

Rangers young midfielder Rino Gattuso has received a shock call-up to the Italian Under-21 squad to face England in Rieti next week. Gattuso said, "just being involved with the national side is new for me and it is a great experience. But none of this would be possible without Walter Smith. I have been delighted with my performances for Rangers so far and that's helped me get into the Italy scene."

Walter Smith said, "Rino has come on leaps and bounds since the start of the season. His enthusiasm is a great asset to the team and he is one of those players who likes to get on with the game. He is a player with a great future."

2 October 1997

The newspapers continue to call for Walter Smith's head. A Daily Record exclusive claims that the Rangers manager has already decided to quit and he will do so before the end of the season. The Record says: "he will continue to lead the clubs's challenge for ten-in-a-row. But his departure coule be accelerated if Rangers lose twice to Celtic in a crucial 10 day spell next month. The plan is for Smith to help chairman David Murray find his own replacement."

"Smith has been left disappointed by the pitiful performance of the team that he assembled in the summer for the big push on Europe. It's understood he was so baffled by their dismal display in the first leg defeat in Strasbourg that he asked his players if they wanted him to resign. After that 2-1 loss Smith made up his mind to move on. Murray will rely on Smith to lead the club's domestic challenge while the two men scour Europe to find the right person to become the next Rangers manager."

The Sun on the other hand reports that David Murray is "furious with the attitude of certain of the club's big-name, big-money stars who appeared unconcerned by the team's latest European defeat. They will be left in no doubt that a sudden dramatic rethink is required on their part if they are to salvage their Ibrox careers. Murray is believed to have told friends that the root of the problem is a lack of commitment on the part of certain players. He also believes that players simply did not realise how big a club Rangers were before they joined. Murray is also understood to feel that they lack the mental toughness to be successful Rangers players."

"No big name star will escape Murray's wrath, including Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup, on whose shoulders so much faith was placed. The message from Murray will be straight to the point. Players will be asked to think long and hard about whether they are pulling their weight. Everyone at Rangers, from the top down, is on trial."

Defender Tony Vidmar scored the opening goal for Australia after only 60 seconds as they beat Tunisia 3-0 in a World Cup warm-up match last night.

The French were gloating at Rangers expense last night. Strasbourg coach Jacky Dugueperoux said, "who would have believed that a little French side like ourselves, 16th in the table could beat one of Europe's biggest clubs? But it was an easy victory and one we expected." General manager Bernard Gardon added, "RAngers gave us no problems at all." Sports paper L'Equipe said, "Strasbourg deservedly beat the feeble Scots. Apart from Brian Laudrup, nobody was willing to take responsibility for the ball. Paul Gascoigne was a non-existent figure and his behaviour was a disgrace."

Brian Laudrup last night insisted that British football is too old-fashioned and it is leading to its own downfall. He said, "time may have caught up with our football. If you win the same league nine times in a row it could be because you don't get the competition. But then you have to look at Arsenal, who also lost on Tuesday night. They are top of the English league. It could be the way we play in Britain is too old-fashioned. British football is nice to look at and it's quick but European sides wait until you make a mistake and get the goals. Maybe they are lucky."

"Rangers didn't get into the Champions' League, then we are sent out of the UEFA Cup early. It's a big disappointment. The results in Europe in the three years I have been here have not been good. We've bought eight or nine players this season and it takes time for them to play together."

Ally McCoist is being linked with the vacant managers post at Carlisle Utd. A consortium of local businessmen want to buy out current owner Michael Knighton at Brunton Park and give McCoist his first crack as player manager. The Rangers striker turned down several offers from abroad in the summer to remain at Ibrox but may feel that it is now time to move on.

1 October 1997

The newspapers are, as predicted, all calling for Walter Smith to resign. He remained defiant and would only say: "If there are questions asked of me I will answer them. Easter Road on Saturday is exactly where I am going. I won't be going anywhere else."

Walter Smith was asked why Rangers do so badly in Europe by a reporter right after the game and he replied, "because we don't win enough f*&@ing games. We're disappointed yet again but but we couldn't argue with the result. At no time did we really impose ourselves on the gamealthough we did have a very good opportunity to do so by going one up. But again the loss of a bad goal just on half-time gave the initiative back to Strasbourg. We huffed and puffed a lot in the second half but we had nothing constructive to show for it."

Some reporters suggested to Smith that he had made a mistake by playing Brian Laudrup when he wasn't fully fit. He replied, "Laudrup said to me he was fit. Are you saying I shouldn't take his word for it? He had to come off eventually but obviously that was because there was a short recovery time between Saturday and this game. It was the same for Joachim Bjorklund."

30 September 1997

The reports which appear on this site usually focus on the positive aspects of matches from a Rangers point of view but on this occasion it is impossible to find any good points from the game. Quite simply this was the worst performance I have seen from Rangers in the 20 years I have been attending matches.

Rangers got the best possible start. Strasbourg had some early pressure but in the 11th minute Rangers took the lead. Stuart McCall won the ball deep inside the Rangers half before playing a pass to Brian Laudrup who ran at the Strasbourg defence. He slipped a great ball to Rino Gattuso on the left and he calmly sidefooted it past the 'keeper from 15 yards.

Rangers lay off the French at that point and allowed them to attack the Rangers defence. The goal finally came in the 38th minute after some poor defending. David Zitelli sent a bad ball into the Rangers box towards Staale Stensaas. The Norwegian should have dealt with it comfortably but lost his balance allowing the ball to slip under his boot and Gerard Baticle fired a low shot past Andy Goram.

Four minutes into the second half Stephane Collet sent a hopeful ball into the Rangers box from the right hand side. Goram should have collected easily but paused and changed his mind and Zitelli raced through three defenders to stab the ball home.

To rub salt into the wound midfielder Christophe Kinet was sent off for a second bookable offence six minutes later but Rangers were still unable to capitalise.

The Rangers players will have to take a long hard look at themselves after their display tonight. All of them looked nervous against a side who are presently sixteenth in an eighteen team league in France with only one win to their credit. Walter Smith will undoubtedly become the media scapegoat tomorrow but he is not the only one at fault. The players simply didn't perform for their manager when he needed it most.

Very few Rangers fans would have picked a different starting eleven and nobody can argue with the quality of player in the Rangers side. All of the players have shown for other teams and, indeed, for Rangers against Hearts and Dundee Utd this season that they have what it takes. That is what makes last night's display all the more disappointing.

Rangers
 
Goram       4                   
Cleland     4                   
Stensaas    3
Porrini     5                  
Bjorklund   6
McCall      5
Gattuso     5
Gascoigne   3
Durie       3
Negri       5
Laudrup     5
Miller      1   (Sub)
Andersen    1   (Sub)
Johansson   1   (Sub)
 
 

Man of the Match: Joachim Bjorklund

Falkirk Follower

30 September 1997

Strasbourg coach Thierry Veil admits his side are worried about Marco Negri. He said, "we will be going to Glasgow to attack Rangers. After their first-leg performance, we believe we can beat them a second time. But they do have good players, despite the fact none of them did very much against us, and we must be on our guard. Apart from Brian Laudrup, who any French side would love to have in their team, Marco Negri is the one we fear most. I am not fooled by the fact he was disappointing when our spies watched Rangers in the 3-3 draw with Aberdeen and the 1-0 Coca-Cola Cup defeat by Dundee United. He has already scored so many goals in the League, and he is very sharp when he gets even half a chance. It would suit us perfectly if Walter leaves him out again. Negri appeared angry at being left on the bench, and he will want to prove to both the Scottish fans and the Italians, who will see highlights, that he can score in the UEFA Cup, too."

Veil also said he was disappointed by the 2000 Rangers fans who made the trip to Strasbourg even though there were only 11,000 at the game. He said, "we had hoped they would bring thousands of fans because the extra money would have been a great help to us. Like most French clubs, we have lost so many of our best players, and they need to be replaced. But I suppose the Rangers supporters were sick about failing to get into the Champions League, and perhaps the UEFA Cup is only second-best for them. To us, it is vital, and I believe we will be the hungrier side. Apparently, the Scottish media think we will be scared of playing in front of 50,000 - but that will merely inspire us. Ibrox is one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe, but the team is not so impressive. I don't think they under-rated us in France. They just had a bad night. I hope they have another on Tuesday."

As of yesterday Rangers had sold only 35,000 tickets for tonight's match against Strasbourg. The lowest home crowd at Ibrox this season was in the Coca-Cola Cup against Falkirk when 43,606 watched the match. Tickets will be on sale until the kick off and the club expect in excess of 45,000 fans to turn up.

Ally McCoist has asked his Rangers team-mates to stand up and be counted tonight against Strasbourg. He said, "I know people mostly look to Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne to do the business because they are such talented players but all the players involved should share the same responsibility. Everybody should be looking in the mirror and asking himself: 'What can I do to change things, to add more to what we are doing and make sure we get the result we need?' From the goalkeeper out, every player should be doing that. We need guys who can stand up and say to themselves, 'I'm going to be the man to turn this around'. Maybe we've been lacking a little of that lately. I'm delighted to see Stuart McCall back from injury and ready to do his bit. He's the type you need when the going gets a bit tough."

"It's fair to say the crowd have not been as optimistic as they used to be on European nights. That's not a criticism of the fans. They realise our recent results have not been great and it seems to make them edgy and nervous. Players can sense these things. Those feelings tend to transfer themselves from the stands to the park and it doesn't help us play our best. But the bottom line is that we should be above all that. Everyone knows how important these European nights are for the players and for the fans and it's up to us to go out there and get a result. This is a tie we really must win. It's as important in terms of morale as anything else."

Rangers will have a minimum of eight players unavailable for the match tonight, six through injury, Jorg Albertz suspended and Tony Vidmar playing for Australia. Laudrup, McCoist and Joachim Bjorklund are extremely doubtful. On Laudrup Walter Smith said, "there are signs of a little improvement. Still, he is very doubtful. I'll be very fortunate if I get two out of the three doubtful players."

Terry Venables has hit back at Walter Smith after the Rangers manager criticised him for insisting that Tony Vidmar plays in a friendly tomorrow night. Venables said, "I think it is a mark of disrespect for Australia to talk like that. I'm shocked at Walter's remarks. I've spoken to him on several occasions and he's always been most helpful. He's tried to call me and I've tried to return his calls, but we keep missing each other. There's got to be give and take in this life, it's not a one-way street. We need Vidmar for this game. As for Mark Bosnich, it had always been my intention to let him sit this one out so that I could try out one or two other goalkeepers."

Brian Laudrup laughed off suggetions that he is the main danger to Strasbourg tonight. He said, "while I was out injured recently, Denmark lost 3-0 to Bosnia and the Danish media all said, 'Oh, but it's because Brian wasn't playing!' Then the Gothenburg coach said my absence was the difference between the sides in our Champions League qualifier. But I am so tired of that kind of talk! A team must gel as a group, not as 11 individuals. People look at Sergio Porrini coming from Juventus and say,'Well, he will stop us conceding goals in Europe', but one man can't do it all on his own. Maybe Strasbourg, with smaller crowds, and being just one of many good sides in France, can relax about this game, their supporters will merely hope they can go far in the UEFA Cup, and the media won't put anything like the same pressure on them. Once again, that means our opponents will come out to enjoy the game, and show what they can do against this club which has spent such big money. The only way to succeed on Tuesday is to work as a team."

29 September 1997

Brian Laudrup has turned to a Danish reflexologist in a bid to be fit for tomorrow's match with Strasbourg. Laudrup flew Torben Christiansen to Glasgow yesterday for round the clock treatment on his injured thigh. Walter Smith initially believed Laudrup had no chance of playing but Christiansen said, "Brian is suffering from a dead leg where there is internal bleeding. But after working with him I'm confident he will be able to play."

Laudrup said, "it's too early to say if I am definitely going to be fit but I am doing my very best to make it. I've been using a reflexologist for the last few years and he has done a terrific job. The combination of him and the physio at Ibrox will give me a very good chance. I initially thought it would be impossible to make the match. It's a dead leg with internal bleeding and it can take two weeks to recover. But sometimes you can be lucky and be fit in two or three days. Hopefully that is what will happen, although I am still doubtful."

Walter Smith was again disappointed with the goals Rangers lost against Motherwell on Saturday. He said, "losing five goals at home in two games is not good enough at the level we're playing. But things will continue to be difficult if we keep doing that."

Motherwell captain Brian Martin couldn't believe the goals Rangers lost on Saturday. He said, "Rangers will have to get their act together at the back. You can sense the fans nervousness when they're under pressure and I can understand the moves to bring back Gough. A few of the Rangers players weren't at their best and Paul Gascoigne took a while to get going. Brian Laudrup also seemed to be struggling and if these two don't play well it's a problem for Rangers because they are big, big players."

Frenchman David Zitelli has warned Rangers that Strasbourg will come out and attack the Ibrox side because their defence is so poor. He said, "we cannot go to Glasgow to defend our advantage. We must go there to attack or we will have no chance. If we try to defend in our own half we will not be successful because our defence is very shaky at the moment and we have conceded a lot of goals in the league. But we can win the match if we go forward and attack Rangers. Their defence is also not very good. We have players who can take advantage of that. What we must do is try to play football and beat Rangers that way, not by knocking lots of high balls forward."

Zitelli's normal striking partner Pascal Nouma is suspended from the match tomorrow but his place will be taken by Danish youngster Benny Conteh. He said, "before I came to Strasbourg I had never seen a crowd of 15,000 during my career, but now I'm going to Glasgow where there will be 50,000. It would be easy for me to be afraid of a crowd of that size, but that will not be the case. On the contrary, the more the crowd shout, the more motivated I will become. It's a night I aim to enjoy. Beating Rangers is not an impossible task, they are not playing well right now."

Strasbourg coach Jacky Dugueperoux said, "I will not have to motivate my players at all. If they cannot motivate themselves for such a match then they will never be able to get motivated. Since our first game against Rangers our results have been equally poor, but I feel the team is progressing along the right lines. Our level of performance is better now. All my players are feeling confident about this game. It is not an impossible task for us."

28 September 1997

Walter Smith blasted Australian boss Terry Venables for refusing to let Tony Vidmar play in Tuesday's UEFA Cup tie against Strasbourg, insisting instead that he joins the Australian squad for a friendly against Tunisia. Venables has released Mark Bosnich to play for Aston Villa. Smith said, "I'm disappointed with Terry because he knows how important this match is. I've found it impossible to get in touch with Venables. But one of his assistants has told me we have no chance of getting Vidmar for Tuesday. There's nothing I can do about that except try to grin and bear it. But it's not easy with Bosnich getting preferential treatment. I was told he's a special case. But so is Vidmar to us when we have so many injury problems of our own."

Rangers will have to play against Strasbourg on Tuesday night without Brian Laudrup. And central defender Joachim Bjorklund is almost certainly out as well. Both players failed to reappear after the break in yesterday's match with Motherwell. Walter Smith said, "Brian's injury looks a bad one. He took a bang on the thigh and there seems to be some internal bleeding. He has no chance of playing on Tuesday night. Bjorklund has a torn calf muscle and must be rated as extremely doubtful for the match."

Smith also confirmed that Brian Laudrup would remain club captain when Richard Gough returns from the US next month. He said, "Brian will remain captain of Rangers when Richard comes back. You don't need to be captain to show leadership and I'm sure Richard will be a big influence."

Brian Laudrup is convinced that his team-mates can beat Strasbourg and then push on for more European glory. He said, "one good result is all it will take for this team to realise what we are capable of. I believe if we beat Strasbourg it will be the springboard for us to go on to great things. We've disappointed our fans in Europe over the past two years and we need to take Rangers to the next stage. We have already missed out on the Champions' League and I would be desperately disappointed if the game against the French was my last in Europe for Rangers. We didn't play well over there but Strasbourg are not a great team, certainly not as good as us, and I think the crowd at Ibrox will certainly give them problems. I'm certain that Rangers quality will shine through."

Andy Goram looks certain to start against Strasbourg after making a comeback from injury. Sebastian Rozental is still two weeks away after having two screws removed from his knee following an operation. He's been told to rest but is expected to start training again with the squad in a fortnight.

Andy Goram is once again being linked with a move to Italian side Torino. Graeme Souness is anxious to land the Rangers 'keeper after winning only two league games this season. Walter Smith might be prepared to let the player go after his recent disciplinary problems. Goram's current contract runs out in January so he would be able to leave then without a fee being paid. Smith is believed to have offered the 'keeper a new no pay-no play deal which Goram has so far refused to sign.

Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has vowed to destroy Celtic on Tuesday night because he would love to play against Rangers at Ibrox. He said, "if we do go through, the first thing I'll want to know is Rangers' result against Strasbourg. Ideally, Rangers and Liverpool would both go through to the next round because I'd love a crack at them later in the competition. And if my wish comes true, it would be the first time in my life I wanted Rangers to lose. I'd love to line up at Ibrox against Ally McCoist. I've got a lot of time for Ally but who doesn't?

Rangers were always my Scottish team as a kid. Everyone in Liverpool seems to support Everton or Liverpool and Rangers or Celtic. When I was a lad Trevor Steven was my hero. When he joined Rangers, I became an even bigger Gers fan. Graeme Souness told me how big a club Rangers were and I'd love to play against them. Graeme gave me my first professional contract and I'll always be grateful to him for giving me my chance.

27 September 1997

Rangers
 
Goram       5                   
Cleland     6                   
Stensaas    6
Porrini     7                  
Vidmar      5
Bjorklund   5
Gattuso     8
Miller      6
Gascoigne   5
Negri       7
Laudrup     5
Albertz     4   (Sub)
Durie       3   (Sub)
McCoist     2   (Sub)
 
 

Man of the Match: Rino Gattuso

Falkirk Follower

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4 October - 11 October 1997
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