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Week Beginning 1 November 1997

8 November 1997

Marco Negri has dismissed newspaper reports that he will leave Rangers at the end of the season. He said, "the fans have been so good to me, so warm, and the club and the players have been the same. Now I am going to be playing in a game which is probably the biggest I have ever known. I cannot ask for anything more than that. As far as I am concerned I shall be here until my contract ends and then I shall look at things, but that is a long way off. I signed a deal to stay with Rangers for four years and nothing that has happened here in Glasgow so far has changed my mind about that."

"This is a game everyone has told me about. From what the players say the whole atmosphere is unbelievable. This is maybe the biggest show on earth, I think. I have not played in any game as big as this one but you would have to ask me on Sunday because then I will have played and I will have heard the crowd and I shall know exactly how huge the game is. But, now, I have no doubts because the players have talked of nothing else to me. It will be more important than any of the other games I have played for Rangers but that does not worry me because I believe that the players are ready for this.

"We all know that Celtic are one point in front of us and that has placed them above us in the league and we want to change that and we can change that in this game. Then, of course, we play them again in 10 days' time but that will take care of itself. There is time for that and maybe if we can win the first one then we shall have more confidence for the second one and, perhaps, too we shall have the psychological advantage. In important matches that can be vital. At the beginning, I thought I could adapt to any situation. Instead it was always raining and I was doing some incredible things with my car. I was going the wrong way down roads, braking and causing jams. And it is one thing to make chit-chat when you are learning the language, it is another when you want to call a plumber or open a bank account. But I didn't want an interpreter. I wanted to learn the language and I am having lessons nearly every day."

Paul Gascoigne said earlier in the week that he rated the Negri in the same sort of class as Alan Shearer but Negri laughed off the suggestion. He said, "Gazza is a joker. I think this is a joke because, for me, Shearer is very good and he may be the best striker in the world, and I don't see myself as that. I have scored the goals but I am fortunate that I have Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup there to help give me the scoring chances. There are other players, too, who have helped me, but these two are special men. They have the ability to make all the passes seem easy. That is very good for me because all I want to do is to score goals. That is my job and that is what I do best of all. As for Italy and the World Cup I just don't think too much about that. It would be my ambition to play for my country but before that, I have to continue to help Rangers. I want to win this tenth title and then my mind can think of other things. But not before."

Walter Smith hopes there will be more attractive football on offer at Ibrox this afternoon than there was in the Old Firm clashes last season. He said, "I'd like to think the standard of football will be better this time round. I felt last season that there was a lot of tension which was detrimental to the game itself. But if you look back to the season before last I felt the clubs played a really good standard of football in the Old Firm games. There will be a lot of new players involved this time but I don't think that just because there are more foreigners there will be a great difference in terms of football. If there is a difference in the standard it will be because last season's level of tension has been taken away."

"The fact that we have two Old Firm matches so close together makes it a bit unusual but they will not shape the entire season. If one of the teams wins both games then it will make a difference, but there will still be a long way to go. Also, this season Hearts are showing a level of consistency that's keeping them in contention at the top. For the last few years Rangers and Celtic have been out on our own but Hearts have joined us this season so it will take more than just Old Firm games to decide anything. But this is a game that everyone is looking forward to. Both teams are up at the right end of the table with Celtic and Hearts level at the top. It'll be important because it will give us an indication of how we are coming along."

"I am not concerned by the number of players who have not tasted Old Firm action. Most of these players are reasonably experienced who will have been involved in derby situations with previous clubs. Yes, this one may be a little different but I don't think any player will be overly affected. Players relish good atmospheres and that's certainly what you get at an Old Firm game. The likes of Porrini, Negri and Thern have all played in big games in Serie A so I don't think this environment will inhibit anyone. Both teams have gone through a lot of changes in personnel since last season so there will be an element of newness. It will be interesting to see how the sides compare."

Ray Wilkins has admitted that he did not enjoy Old Firm matches during his stay in Scotland. He said, "I have a few good memories of the games, but the environment was a little hostile for my liking. If you can beat Celtic twice in a season you have a hell of a chance of winning the championship. If you can remain unbeaten against them, that chance increases. I was very fortunate to play in a team of great players who could play a lot of one and two-touch football,. Passions run high. All derbies are very intense and there is a lot of pride at stake in the city. But the build-up to these games is always very similar, whether you're in Milan or Glasgow."

7 November 1997

Peter Huistra is glad that Wim Jansen is about to experience his first Old Firm match. He said, "when I went to Japan I remember trying to explain to Wim just what the Old Firm games were like and what made them so special, he looked at me as if I was crazy. He said he realised it was a big game, but that he had been involved in many big matches himself like the Ajax-Feyenoord games in Holland. He could not understand how a Dutchman could think a game in Glasgow could be more special. That's why I'll give him a call after Saturday, at last he'll know what I'm talking about. Wim is very relaxed but this really will surprise him. Everything is much more tense and there is more feeling involved. I want to see Wim being successful, but I think he'll have to be satisfied with a close second this season. This will be Walter's greatest challenge in his final season and I am sure he has the squad to win the title."

Dortmund midfielder Paul Lambert will sign for Celtic today but he could have been a Rangers player two years ago before he left Motherwell. Rangers eventually baulked at paying the Lanarkshire club £1 million. Lambert, who won a European Cup winners medal last season should make his debut for Celtic at Ibrox tomorrow.

Marco Negri told Italian paper Gazzetta dello Sport that he is enjoying life in Glasgow and has been amazed by the Rangers fans. He said, "every game is packed with emotion. Every game sends a shudder through me. Our stadium is always full with 50,000 fans who shout from the first to the last minute, whether we are winning 5-0 or losing 3-0. There's an incredible warmth at Rangers, comparable only to Southern sides like Napoli. I feel fine. Here people judge you on the field. Your private life doesn't interest them. This place is fine. I tend not to give interviews. I am not made that way. I don't like to say banal things or talk about myself. My work is to score and here that is enough for the fans."

He also laughed about an interview his mother gave earlier this week. She revealed in the Sun that Marco had wanted to be a thief or a footballer when he was younger. "It's true," he said. "Thank heaven I became a footballer. But the story didn't stop Andy Goram or Paul Gascoigne making fun of me. Gazza said he was taking his wallet out on the pitch with him. I didn't understand what he was talking about until he showed me the paper. There is always a good atmosphere with Gazza around and as far as I am concerned your enjoyment is assured. Here at Rangers I make use of the great service provided by Gazza and Brian Laudrup. But even in Italy I always scored goals."

"I am very happy at Rangers, but next season we will have to see what happens. There is still time before I go back to Italy and I would only return to join a club with European ambitions. One such club is Udinese, who are managed by Alberto Zaccheroni. I would certainly say yes to him, as I regard him extremely highly. I had the most enjoyable year of my career. I haven't been contacted by anyone back home. But I would be glad to hear from them, it would show that people are appreciating what I am doing now. Rangers offer in the summer was excellent for me. An excellent wage, the possibility of an adventure overseas, to play in cups and to learn the English language. And then I love to travel. I have been here only three months and as yet it is too early to make a judgment.

"For now things are going really well but at the start it was hard. The Scottish League is different to Italy's, but it is not easier to play in. I thought it would be poorer in terms of skill, but there are plenty of excellent players, and fitness wise the Scots are superior to the Italians. Tactically they lag behind a little. Teams that are losing will throw men forward for an equaliser and maybe let in three more goals on counter-attacks. At Rangers I am just the finisher, profiting from the great work done by Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne."

Paul Gascoigne is likely to miss Rangers' match against Aberdeen a week on Saturday because England face Cameroon the same night. Walter Smith said, "there is nothing I can do about it. If he's in, he's in and that's it." Glenn Hoddle said, "I had a friendly chat with Walter Smith. It shows how important these games are in our build-up. I don't consider them as friendlies. These players are playing for places in the World Cup 22. It should be a shame if Paul had to drop out on the back of his performances in the two previous England matches."

6 November 1997

Ally McCoist has pleaded with Walter Smith to give him a chance to break Jimmy McGrory's record of Old Firm goals. He said, " I realise I'm not going to start this game but I hope I get a chance to come on. Even if it was just 10 or 15 minutes at the end I'd love to get that chance. It's not that it would break my heart if I never break Jimmy's record, it would be very selfish of me to feel like that. I've been lucky enough to break a few records in my time here and I have no right to say I'd be gutted not to get this one as well. But I must admit, if I could get a goal or two more against Celtic before the end of my career it would make me a very happy man. Jimmy has a total of 27 and right now I'm on 26. Even just to equal that total would mean a lot to me. Mind you, if I don't manage to do it by the looks of things Marco will have broken the record himself in half a dozen games. I'd settle for that. Marco's record so far is unbelievable. He's on target to break all sorts of records, most of them mine!."

"I've been in contention to play in every game this season. Being in contention has not been the problem but what can I expect when Marco is scoring so many goals? The best I can hope for is a place on the bench but I am hopeful that I'll feature at some point on Saturday. Of course, it does get frustrating, very frustrating, to be kept out of the side. My contract is up at the end of the season and unless the situation changes, all I want to aim at until then is getting a place in the Rangers team. There has been talk of me going somewhere else on loan but I still have a great desire to play for Rangers. I wouldn't say that if someone came in to take me on loan I'd go straight away. If an offer comes in I'd have to weigh things up, speak to the manager and keep all my options open. Then I would do what's best both for me and for the club."

"I can't wait for Saturday's game, I must admit it. It should be one heck of a game because I can't remember going into an Old Firm game when Celtic have been playing with so much confidence. And although we've not been at our best, we've not been playing too badly and we've certainly been scoring a few goals. So this game should give everyone an idea of just where the two teams stand. The outcome of this game will be vital. The winning team will get a massive psychological boost and also it could badly affect the losers. The most important thing going into this game is not to lose it. It's a home game and we want to win every time we play at Ibrox, but we really do not want to lose the first Old Firm game of the season. There will be a lot of players making their Old Firm debuts and that will make it even more interesting. They'll be surprised but then again they've all played in big games all over the world and should be able to cope. This one will be a little bit different for them but they are all good professionals and they should be able to adapt. Maybe it will all come down to who can adapt the best."

Celtic midfielder Morten Wieghorst paid tribute to Marcio Negri but insists Brian Laudrup is still the man Celtic will have to contain this weekend. He said, "Negri is obviously a great scorer, his record speaks for itself, but I think people are forgetting about Brian Laudrup. Negri has scored so many goals because of the service he has been receiving every week. Laudrup is the main player who has been feeding him balls. Laudrup has been so important to his club for the past few seasons, especially against us. A player like Negri will always be a threat. But I still think we have the central defenders to deal with him."

Marc Reiper also praised Negri but insisted that he doesn't care how many the Italian scores as long as Celtic win the game. He said, "there is no doubt he is a quality player. But I don't care if he scores one or two goals against us as long as we score more. Obviously it is my job to stop goals going in and if you concede two against Rangers then winning may be a hard task. But I don't think it will come to that. I reckon if we play against Rangers and Negri as we have done against others we shouldn't have too many problems. I don't think we will change our game plan because of him but that is ultimately up to the manager. I don't think we will give any of their guys special treatment."

Former Sweden manager Tommy Svensson thinks that the battle between Joachim Bjorklund and Henrik Larsson will be intriguing. He said, "Henrik has been a tremendous buy for Celtic, but I feel he'll struggle to get the better of Joachim. Joachim's recent form is no surprise to me because I know all about his ability. Every player needs time to settle in a new country and perhaps Rangers fans didn't see the best of him at first. But that has changed now. He's quick, intelligent, and a marvellous tackler, and Henrik will have to play very well to come out on top."

"However, I do not mean that as anything against Henrik. He's in tremendous shape at the moment and his movement can cause problems for any defence. Henrik has also been scoring important goals for Celtic and that is crucial to their chances, both on Saturday and for the rest of the season. His main strength is scoring, but his talents for dribbling are also well-known. Henrik has done wonderfully well at Celtic and I called him into my squad for my final game in charge, against Estonia last month, on the strength of his impressive current form."

"Jonas Thern will also have an important role to play. If he is fully fit, he'll have no problem settling into the game. He's a very serious player. Jonas can control the game from the centre of the field and works very hard. He can cause Celtic many headaches. I watched most of the Old Firm battles last season and I was surprised Rangers managed to win all four league matches. Although I still feel Rangers have the upper hand, it will be immensely difficult for them to repeat that feat. I think it will be tight and a draw is a real possibility."

5 November 1997

The Italian national coach Cesare Maldini is keeping a close eye on the progress of Rangers striker Marco Negri. He said, "I am very happy with what Negri is doing with Rangers in Scotland. I know that he has already scored 23 goals in the league. I have never forgotten him since his days with Perugia when he proved to be a very good striker. It does not matter to me that he is playing in Scotland. The only problem Negri has is that Italy are so strong in attack just now. I already have seven players all looking for just two or three positions and I already have a lot of problems choosing who plays in attack. For this reason I will not be calling on Negri to play against Russia but it is not impossible that I would want him with us in France if we qualify."

"I know that he is a good guy, a shy man but a very good striker. If he continues to score goals for Rangers as he is doing now then why not? Why should he not go to the World Cup finals? He has scored 26 goals already. He could play the rest of this season with just one leg and he will still end up the top goalscorer in Europe! That is a special achievement. But first I must concentrate on Russia and then we will look at our options. The door is open to all our good players, and that includes Negri."

Paul Gascoigne has also praised Negri's scoring exploits and he hopes that the Italian can continue his incredible spell with a goal against Celtic this weekend. He told the Rangers News: "I wouldn't mind taking him fishing one day as I am sure the net would be full after a few minutes. Celtic have a number of players who have been doing well. But I really don't have to talk about my team-mates as they seem to be doing their talking on the pitch, especially Marco. What he has done for Rangers this season has been incredible. I've played with more than a few strikers in my time but he's special. When he first joined the club I told him if he did really well, he might get 30 goals in a season. He's nearly passed that tally already, so I think he deserves all the praise in the world. Marco has been outstanding -- show him the goals and he'll score. He's different class."

Gascoigne has also taken the time to tell Rangers new recruits about how big the Old Firm match is. He said, " the first game will fly past and it will be different to anything they have seen. They all know what it's about and I have done my bit in telling them how important it is. But really there was no need to. They are all professionals and have a real will to win at Ibrox. The best thing about the Old Firm game is when a goal goes in. You look around and you can see what it means to the fans. The new boys at Rangers won't really appreciate this game until afterwards. It is only then you look back in amazement."

Marco Negri wants to win the League title this season to pay back Walter Smith for all he has done for Rangers. He said, "all the players want to win the league for Walter. We have got to get the right results from now on. I was surprised to hear the news last week about the gaffer but we all must think about his decision and why he is doing it. We know what Rangers means to him and we also know winning the league championship this season is what he wants more than anything. Walter played a huge part in me coming to Rangers and really is a wonderful person. He spoke so well about the club but took time with the deal which I appreciated. As a person you will not meet a better man and the fact he is great coach should also not be forgotten. He brought me to Rangers which I am so grateful for. Now it is my turn to make sure he leaves with what he wants."

Negri scored a hat-trick against Kilmarnock last weekend but was still critical of his overall performance. He said, "I missed two big chances but the good thing is I can look back afterwards and see where I went wrong. I have scored in every league game and it is great but there's no pressure on me. I have to say the Rangers fans help when I play. Every game they are great for me and the rest of the side."

4 November 1997

Paolo Di Canio thinks Marco Negri will score 60 goals for Rangers this season but he hopes none of them will be against his former side Celtic. He said, "I am not at all surprised that Marco is scoring two and three goals every week in Scotland. I told my friends before he arrived that he would score 55 or 60 goals in one season up there. He scored 17 goals for Perugia last season and they were relegated. If he can get that many in Italy with a poor team, it was certain he would score lots more in Scotland with a good team. I like everything about him. He has pace, he has the right temperament and he can score goals from anywhere."

"He will be hoping to play in the World Cup and I don't think it will matter that he is not playing in one of the top European leagues because people in Italy know what he can do. But his biggest problem will be that our coach Cesare Maldini has so many good forwards to pick - Del Piero, Inzaghi, Ravanelli, Casiraghi and Vieri are all ahead of him at the moment. Of course, he can score against Celtic on Saturday, but I hope for once he plays badly."

Jorg Albertz has indicated that he would like to stay at Ibrox. He is quoted by the German soccer magazine Kicker as saying, "I don't have any problem by not playing for a couple of games. Of course I would be unhappy if I was out of the team for three months and wasn't given a chance, but we have a big squad and I accept there will be times I am not in the starting line-up. It is a very important season for everyone at Rangers and I want to play my part"

3 November 1997

Walter Smith has admitted that he might be prepared to let Ally McCoist leave Ibrox. He said, "I can appreciate how he must be feeling and if it is possible I would listen to him if he reaches the stage where he believes he must get a game to protect his place in the World Cup squad. If I am in a position to help him I will. I will listen sympathetically to anything he might want to say because McCoist has been nothing other than good for Rangers and for me."

Paul Gascoigne is also thinking of leaving Ibrox following Walter Smith's shock announcement that he will resign at the end of the season. His agent Mel Stein said, "Paul's relationship with Walter is very much on a father-son basis while David Murray is like an elder brother. There is a very strong family bond between the three of them. It is important to Paul that it is like that, and it is significant that he is happiest when he has been at clubs with that same three-way relationship. It was like that at Spurs with Irving Scholar and Terry Venables and at Newcastle when Stan Seymour was the chairman and Arthur Cox the manager. Like everyone at Rangers, Paul was upset to learn that this is Walter's last season and we will have to wait and see what happens now. At least Walter will be there for the rest of the season."

Marco Negri has hinted for the first time that he may leave Ibrox at the end of the season despite saying recently that he would see out his four year contract. He was quoted in an Italian newspaper yesterday as saying, "I have no long-term programme and I will review the situation at the end of the season. It depends how I am finding it here. It is easier to blame the manager for the European failures than the 20-odd people who are, in fact, collectively to blame. Obviously, the cause of all this was our failure in Europe. But when there is a failure or any defeat, the blame lies with a lot of people, not just one. It has not been easy for Walter Smith because all season there have been whispers of other negotiations. The feeling in the dressing-room has been one of great surprise. I'm not the sort to feel disturbed inside by what has happened, but I cannot say that others have not been. It would be so satisfying for the manager and the players if we could give Walter Smith his tenth successive title."

Stuart McCall was more relieved than happy after three late goals gave Rangers a vital win over Kilmarnock at the weekend. He said, " I was the one to blame for their goal so I was glad when we started to score again towards the end. I enjoyed the last four minutes. It was a major result for us. It's amazing how often in the last few seasons we have needed goals in the last ten minutes to beat Kilmarnock. They work very hard every time we play them. I think the lad knew himself when he was sent off that it might change the game. I said before that we have to unite and pull together and that is happening. We deserved criticism for our games in European competition but the thing to do is stick together. We could have gone our own ways, looking after ourselves, but we haven't done that."

Leeds have again denied that manager George Graham is about to join Rangers. Chairman Peter Ridsdale said, "we have had absolutely no contact from Rangers. Before all this blew up I had informal discussions with George about extending and improving his existing contract. I expect to see it through to a satisfactory conclusion and we will be holding further talks with George in the very near future."

2 November 1997

Ally McCoist may be ready to leave Rangers to keep himself in contention for next summer's World Cup. He said, "the situation at Ibrox isn't ideal but neither I nor any of the other strikers can complain. Marco's on fire at the moment and is coring in every game. That's great for the team but I need first team football. If the situation is still the same at Christmas, I'll see how Walter feels about letting me go somewhere on loan. Scotland's important to me and I know I've no chance of making the squad if I'm in Rangers reserves. There's a limit to how loyal Craig Brown can be."

Kilmarnock boss Bobby Williamson complemented Marco Negri after his hat-trick sunk the Ayrshire team. He said, "I know I said that I thought Negri would score 50 goals this season but I didn't mean them to be all against us! Negri's record is phenomenal. He is McCoist mark two. I am disappointed with the outcome of the game. I felt we deserved something from it but the sending off allowed Rangers more space and they made full use of it."

Walter Smith said, "once Kilmarnock were down to 10 men we had a chance to capitalise on it and we did. Kilmarnock are a well organised team but I felt we had most of second half. I felt we played well for the first 15 to 20 minutes but then Kilmarnock came into the game, but our pressure paid in the end. Nobody expected Marco to score anything like this number of goals. The problem is that now there's a tendency for us to get a little greedy about it. I mean, he missed two chances which for him were real sitters, but it's hardly fair to start getting hyper-critical. In the end we had a fair margin of victory but for a long time I thought the points were going to go past us. Now we can look forward to the visit of Celtic, which is always a big, big occasion and one which is well overdue this season, we'll be very happy if Marco can keep up his scoring record in that one."

Jonas Thern also heaped praise on his Italian team-mate after he scored in his tenth consecutive league match. He said, " "Marco is dangerous inside the penalty area, as he showed again today. He played well overall. Perhaps he should have scored another goal in the first half, but you can't fault his performance. He scored another hat-trick, which is very impressive, and his record since coming to Scotland is unbelievable."

Walter Smith has admitted that his biggest fear was being sacked by the club he loves. He said, "this has been a difficult decision for me because I don't want to see the day when I am not manager of Rangers. But I didn't want to be the boss who made this club less successful. I didn't want to be sacked or pushed out of the door. I was winning titles but the joy didn't last. So I explained to my wife and I explained to David Murray that something inside me had changed. I don't know if the new job on offer will hold my interest but I'll take that up. I've made my own decision to leave. Rangers is a place that I never wanted to leave. I would just like to ask the fans to back us for the rest of the season. Don't make it so that we have to lose the title before we realise how much we love winning it."

Sergio Porrini has admitted he was bitterly disappointed by Rangers European exit this season. He said, "all I'd known with Juve was winning in Europe. Then I was coming back to Glasgow looking at being out of two Cups in one season. That hurts when football is your life. Now all that matters is that we win something. We're out of the Champions' League, the UEFA and Coca Cola Cups. I must have something to show for the season. I knew how good the feeling could be in this stadium and since I arrived all my team-mates talk about is how special this Celtic game is. I've seen the videos of the great Old Firm goals and the whole fixture looks spectacular. I also phoned Celtic's Enrico Annoni has warned me what to expect but I honestly can't wait."

Tony Vidmar is hoping that Rangers can get a victory against Celtic next Saturday to put them on a high for the match against Aberdeen a week later and celtic again the following Wednesday. He said, "it's vital we get points in all three matches because Celtic are going so well. Everyone at Ibrox wants to win on Saturday to put us on a high for the rest of the month. November will separate the men from the boys and it's vital we are not left behind."

Brian Laudrup insists that he was misquoted after Marc Reiper said a few weeks ago that one of the reasons he had joined Celtic was that Laudrup had said Rangers success couldn't last forever. Laudrup said, "when I said you'd win things with Celtic I meant in 2010! I did speak to Marc and I did tell him that Rangers' success couldn't last forever, but I was thinking well into the future. I also told him that Scotland was a tremendous country to live in."

1 November 1997

Rangers
 
Goram       7                  
Vidmar      5                   
Stensaas    5
McCall      8                  
Bjorklund   6
Porrini     7
Thern       6
Gattuso     7
Gascoigne   7
Negri       8
Laudrup     6
Durie       2   (Sub)
Miller      2   (Sub)
Albertz     6   (Sub)
 
 

Man of the Match: Stuart McCall

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