Latest News

Week Beginning 15 November 1997

22 November 1997

Gordon Durie and Rino Gattuso will both miss today's match against Motherwell after picking up domestic bans. Gattuso went over the disciplinary threshold after picking up another booking on Wednesday night and Durie was sent off after the final whistle for comments he made to the referee. Brian Laudrup will not be recover from a hamstring injury in time for the match. Paul Gascoigne will also sit out the match after his sending off against Celtic. Ian Durrant, Ian Ferguson, Stephen Wright, Gary Bollan and Jonatan Johansson have all been added to the squad and Sergio Porrini has recovered from an ankle injury.

Walter Smith knows that Motherwell will give Rangers a stiff test at Fir Park today. He said, "the last couple of games against Motherwell have been at Ibrox and they have made life very difficult for us, drawing earlier this term and beating us last season. They will have also gained from last week's result against Celtic. They'll be dangerous opponents."

"The number of draws we've had has been diappointing. We'd like to get back on the winning trail. But the chase is on after 13 games and we are doing the chasing. I see no reason why Hearts can't keep up their run. Jim Jeffries has been there a couple of years and he's built a strong player pool. This will allow him to change his team without making any great difference to it when they are hit by injuries or suspensions. It's up to ourselves to keep the pressure on them and try to overtake them."

21 November 1997

Paul Gascoigne will miss all of Rangers' matches in December programme after being banned for five matches by the SFA. The England midfielder was sent off for violent conduct in the Old Firm match against Celtic. Gascoigne had already chalked up nine disciplinary points for accumulated bookings. Last night's offence cost him another 12 points, taking his total to 21 and over the disciplinary threshold. He will serve an automatic one-match ban against Motherwell on Saturday. Gascoigne will then return for the game against St Johnstone the following Saturday before beginning a four-match ban on December 3.

SFA spokesman Drew Hebertson said, "I can confirm Paul Gascoigne has been suspended for five matches under the totting-up procedure. He will serve a one-match automatic ban after being sent off last night. As the offence warranted 12 disciplinary points and he had already accumulated nine points that took him to 21 points. The threshold is 16 points and in addition to the one-match ban he will be suspended for another four league matches, commencing December 3."

St Johnstone manager Paul Sturrock and the Scottish Players' Union have backed calls for the SFA to allow appeals using video evidence to be made. Sturrock said, "if the system is good enough for England, then it should be good enough for Scotland. We have now reached the stage where we need to clarify some decisions made by referees through video footage. One of my players was sent off in August against Celtic and he was forced to serve a two-match suspension when TV pictures clearly showed that no such offence had taken place. Everyone knows the decision to dismiss the player in that game was unfair but he still had to serve his suspension. I believe if the referee in the Old Firm match sits down and watches the game on video I think he will realise he made a mistake in sending Gascoigne off."

Scottish Players' Union Chief Executive Tony Higgins said, "Players should be able to call on TV evidence if they so wish. We also realise this could work against them. We don't think this takes away the power of the referee. It just gives him another opportunity of assessing his decision. We have already met with the managers to debate the issue and plan further talks with them before Christmas."

SFA spokesman David Findlay said, "the referee's decision is final and binding on the laws of the game. There is no appeals procedure. Only where there has been a claim of mistaken identity for a player will a hearing be granted to a club."

Aberdeen defender John Inglis has also backed Paul Gascoigne. Referee John Rowbotham has only recently returned to grade 1 refereeing after a match between Rangers and Aberdeen in 1995 when he failed to dismiss Gascoigne for a headbutt on Inglis. Inglis said, " I am genuinely sorry for Paul Gascoigne. He did not deserve that against Celtic. I thought his sending-off was bang out of order and I was very disappointed for him because he was running the game at that point. He must be absolutely gutted. He got away with it at Ibrox two years ago but then ends up getting sent off for nothing.

"He did catch Morten Wieghorst but there was no malice in it. Rowbotham made a mistake, the guy over-reacted. I genuinely believe that Rowbotham is still trying to pick up the pieces of his career after what happened that day at Ibrox. And I think he went into that Old Firm game telling himself that he'd need to get control. That's why he was dishing out so many cards but he was being too harsh on some and too lenient on others. He ended up losing control as a result. Gascoigne had kept himself under control throughout the match. That's unusual for him and it must be extremely difficult for him in such an atmosphere. But he's obviously working hard to keep his temper in check, not like he was a couple of years ago.

"I know a lot of people are now saying Rowbotham only did it because of what happened two years ago but that's a difficult one. But I can't believe Gascoigne was sent off for what was nothing more than a gentle slap on the face. The crowd can have an effect on the referee and I think the Celtic supporters played a part in Gascoigne's sending off."

Walter Smith was still waiting to see a copy of the referee's match report on the Gascoigne incident. He said, "we will await the referee's report with great interest. Until we see it there's nothing I can say officially over the Paul Gascoigne situation, although I do have my private views. He will not be disciplined by the club and suggestions that his sending off might affect his career here or with England are simply ludicrous. I have spoken to him about the incident, but not at any great length. Essentially, there is not an awful lot to talk about."

Former referee Brian McGinlay pointed his finger at the part played by Morten Wieghorst but refused to be drawn on whether Gascoigne should have been sent off. He said, "the Gascoigne decision was a hard one to call. Ask ten referees what they thought of it and five would say John got it right and the other five would disagree. But the reaction of the other player, Morten Wieghorst, didn't make the referee's job any easier. It's all right for him to come out after the game and say the decision was harsh, but don't forget he was the man who was rolling about on the ground clutching his face. Too many players are trying to get fellow pros into trouble by holding their faces when there is only the slightest contact."

Paul Gascoigne has been accused of urinating on Erik Bo Andersen as he was doing press ups at training in a Danish newspaper article yesterday. Andersen said, " "I confirm something like this happened but I will not confirm who was involved. It was the worst thing I've ever experienced in my career. Anyone else with more of a temper than me would have killed the man. It was so rude that everything inside me stood still. I will never forget anything about it. It still hurts me inside. I could tell lots of rude stories about how I was treated at Rangers." Andersen also claimed in the article that he was treated as a virtual outcast at Ibrox because he was tee-total.

Paul Gascoigne would not comment on the alleged incident. He would only say, "I don't remember anything, you must speak to Walter Smith about this. We often have a carry on at training, maybe I've gone to pee and Erik got in my way. It could be I've peed on his leg when we were next to each other but that's what happens, so what? Erik and I have always been on good terms and I hope he makes Denmark's World Cup squad. I have a deep respect for him and I always congratulated him when he scored goals. I wish him all the best in the future."

20 November 1997

Stuart McCall admitted that he was disappointed to lose a goal so late in last night's match against Celtic. He said, "I was disappointed to concede a goal so late in the game and drop two points. I thought we had weathered the storm and we created the best couple of chances in the second half. I was disappointed that Paul Gascoigne was ordered off and with the circumstances in which he was sent off. We were very disappointed to lose the goal. We had weathered the early storm at the start and I felt we were the better team. We expected Celtic to come at us, they set out their stall to put us under pressure, and we survived that. I was very pleased with the way the team fought. I wouldn't like to pick out any one of my players.

"Of the chances we had, maybe the hardest one Marco had was the one he put away. Losing a goal to the last kick of the game was difficult to take. But it was a good result under the circumstances. Celtic seemed superior in the air. But we are now unbeaten in 10 league games against them. That's almost five seasons in real terms."

Stuart McCall was disappointed too. He said, " we thought we had the points. They bombarded us with high balls and eventually they got one. But I felt we battled well with 10 men, Marco took his goal well and itw as disappointing not to hold on, but that's football."

Celtic defender Alan Stubbs insisted that his last gasp equaliser had given his team a deserved share of the spoils at Parkhead. He said, "it was virtually the last touch of the game, but I thought overall we deserved something out of the match. We pushed forward for most of the game, but they caught us on the counter-attack. When that happened, though, we just rolled up our sleeves and got the equaliser we wanted. It was not a classic game, the last four or five have not been, but we showed you are not going to get anything unless you dig in. We got a draw out of it and they are going to be the ones that are disappointed. Now we have to go and do the business on Saturday."

Celtic coach Wim Jansen said, "we showed good character in the last 20 minutes and did everything I could have asked for. I can't complain. It was very important to score in the last minute, although we were a bit desperate with our final ball. We didn't create too many chances and Rangers have good defenders like Richard Gough."

Celtic player Morten Wieghorst did not think Paul Gascoigne deserved to be sent off. He said, "the red card was too hard on him. I tugged at his shirt and you could see that Gazza got frustrated. But the punishment was too harsh and I am saddened for him."

Paul Elliott a former Celtic defender who was acting as a TV commentator for the match said afterwards, "it was a bad decision and one consistent with the referee's performance overall. Paul did raise his arm, but it was only a sign of frustration and there was minimal contact with Wieghorst."

Trevor Steven also said on television: " Steven said: "I am very disappointed for Paul and I don't know what the referee was thinking about. He did not deserve to be red-carded."

19 November 1997

Rangers were hit with a huge blow before kick off when both Brian Laudrup and Sergio Porrini failed late fitness tests. The expected Celtic barrage never materialised and the match eventually turned with the controversial expulsion of Paul Gascoigne.

Until the 56th minute Rangers completely controlled the game with Gascoigne pulling all the strings. Referee John Rowbotham set out his stall early by booking eight players in a trugid first half. In the 56th minute the referee sent Gascoigne off for reacting to a Morten Wieghorst foul. Ultimately it was to be a moment which transformed the match.

Rangers took the lead in the 72nd minute. A long Andy Goram kick out was nodded on by Gordon Durie to Marco Negri inside the Celtic half. Negri played the ball back to Durie and set off on a diagonal run between the central defenders. Durie's pass seemed to have sent the Italian too wide but he managed to fire the ball just inside the near post as Alan Stubbs tried to close him down.

Rangers held on until injury time at the end of the match. A Jackie MacNamara corner was cleared to Craig Burley but his shot was blocked by Stuart McCall. The ball broke back out to MacNamara on the left and he crossed to the back post and Stubbs headed it across the goalkeeper into the net. Rowbotham immediately blew for full time.

Most Rangers fans would have settled for a draw before the match after the victory at Ibrox ten days ago. Indeed, after Gascoigne had been sent off in a match which was neatly poised at 0-0 almost everybody would have settled for a draw. The fact that Celtic scored so late on is disappointing but it should not deflect from what was a terrific battling performance. Rangers were the better side for most of the match - despite the absence of Laudrup, Porrini and Gascoigne for the final 34 minutes when they were down to 10 men - and that speaks volumes for the players who have, in the past, taken some stick for showing a lack of commitment.

Rangers
 
Goram       7                  
McCall      9                   
Cleland     6
Gough       8                  
Bjorklund   7
Thern       7
Durie       6
Gascoigne   6
Gattuso     7
Negri       6
Albertz     6
Stensaas    2   (Sub)
McCoist     2   (Sub)
 
 

Man of the Match: Stuart McCall

Falkirk Follower

19 November 1997

UEFA have admitted that they are about to launch an investigation into ENIC, the company which invested £40 million in Rangers last season. ENIC have arranged a meeting between the six European clubs it is involved with in Glasgow at the beginning of December. UEFA are believed to be concerned that the meeting is the first step by ENIC to carve up European football. UEFA spokesman Massimo Gonnella said, "the meeting of these clubs in Glasgow is just a single example so it is difficult to say how UEFA will treat it. That is why we are holding the investigation. If it becomes clear that there is a tendency all over Europe for private people trying to buy clubs and make pacts between them it would be a matter of concern for UEFA."

"ENIC's investments are not the reason for the investigation, it is a more general investigation into the ownership of Europe's clubs. We need to gather all the information we can to see if something has to be done. One of the main issues for UEFA is to protect and develop football. UEFA has a responsibility to make sure this kind of development does not harm football. So far it's too early to say what the outcome of the investigation will be but if there is any reason to think that this might harm the development of football then UEFA will take action."

Richard Gough believes that the inspiration of Andy Goram is one of the main reasons for Rangers dominance of the domestic game in recent years. He said, "Goram has been excellent ever since he came to the club but when I returned from the States people were telling me he had been going through a bad time. They said he had problems on and off the park and that it had been a ropey time for him. But I've not seen any sign of that since I've been back, other than the mistake he made against Dundee United at Tannadice when he tried to dribble round their quickest player."

"I must admit it's nice to be a defender when Andy is behind you. You know if someone gets a shot or a header in then the chances are Andy will save it and that is comforting. It's good to go into a game like this with him on your side. Like me, he enjoys the big games. He enjoys going to Parkhead and he seems to excel in the Old Firm atmosphere."

The Rangers skipper will warn his fellow team-mates that Celtic are bound to be more fired up for this match than they were for the match at Ibrox 10 days ago. He said, "I keep waiting for the wheel to turn. I don't know the secret behind this run, even if I did I wouldn't tell you. The truth is we've been fortunate. You make your own luck but it really is strange to have notched up a run like this when Old Firm games are so unpredictable. People talk about us holding an Indian sign over Celtic but that shouldn't be the case as both teams are now full of new players. And I fully expect Celtic to redouble their efforts against us in this one. Our new guys will have taken a boost in confidence after the first game but I'll now have to warn them about how it feels to lose an Old Firm game. Winning one is great but losing leaves a bad taste in the mouth."

"This is a similar scenario to the one we faced in 1988 after we pulverised Celtic 5-1 at Ibrox in August. We could have won 10-1. We had new players like Ray Wilkins and Gary Stevens who couldn't understand the fuss, they could not believe Celtic had won the double the year before. But a month later we went to Parkhead and were 3-1 down at half-time - going on 10-1. We just wanted the ref to blow the whistle. That will always stick with me, no two Old Firm games are ever alike. The fact is, though, there is no better feeling in the world than winning at Parkhead, for me it's as good as anything I've experienced in football."

Gough knows at the age of 35 that every Old Firm match he plays in might be his last. He said, "I'm here for the rest of this season and the one after that but I'm not sure how it will all work out. When Lorenzo Amoruso and Alan McLaren are fit again I might not be able to get a game. That's why I'll treat every Old Firm game like it's my last because the truth is I don't know how many of these games I've got left in the tank."

Derek McInnes spoke about his admiration for 19 year old Rino Gattuso as he prepared for the long slog back to fitness after an ankle injury sustained in Gothenburg. He said, "Rino has come through superbly. At the start of the season, the gaffer said he considered Rino to be a player who would be used now and again. But he's got in the team and stayed there on merit. His enthusiasm for the game is fantastic and that rubs off on people around him. People say he's too enthusiastic but I wouldn't want to take that away from his game."

Rangers are again being linked with American goalkeeper Brad Friedel. Liverpool hoped to sign the player last week and remain confident that they will get clearance from the Department of Employment to finalise a £1 million move from Columbus Crew. Liverpool applied for a permit for Friedel on October 10 after agreeing personal terms with him and a fee with the American Federation, which holds his registration. They claim that Friedel, who has had a number of applications turned down previously when other English clubs wanted to sign him, now meets all the requirements. The DoE has put the application on ice, along with a number of others, pending a final decision on the case of Australian goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac's proposed move to Portsmouth.They originally rejected his application, but he succeeded in a judicial review. The DoE is now studying a transcript of the High Court hearing.

18 November 1997

Brian Laudrup has admitted that he is doubtful for Wednesday night's crunch clash against Celtic at Parkhead with a hamstring injury. He will see a specialist today but the signs seem ominous as he battles to be fit for the match. Walter Smith said, "Brian is giving us cause for concern. It will have to be a last-minute decision." Laudrup himself admitted, "I'm doubtful at the moment and I couldn't have played had the game been 24 hours earlier. But I will give it every chance and I'll just have to wait and see. There will be no decision before Wednesday afternoon and I wouldn't want to put my chances in percentage terms. Hopefully it will improve in the next couple of days. I'm certainly not ruling myself out."

Proposals for a new 12 team Scottish League could be agreed this week. The top 10 clubs have agreed to a new format which would involve all 12 clubs playing home and away before Christmas, after which the teams would divide into two mini-leagues of six to decide the title and relegation. The only alternative would have seen a return to the 44-game league schedule which was last used in the 1993/94 season but clubs regularly involved in European competition have vetoed that suggestion. Under the proposals the top clubs would play 32 league games a season, compared to 36 at the moment, with a cup competition possibly operating during the January break.

Two special general meetings, involving all 40 clubs, will consider these applications today, and although the Premier Division clubs have a built-in majority they are hoping support from clubs in the lower divisions will prove that their proposals have the backing of teams in the lower leagues. This would prevent the six lower league representatives on the Scottish League Management Committee from opposing the applications at their meeting on Thursday

Hibs chairman Lex Gold said, "it has become clear that a number of clubs outwith the Premier Division have come to realise the value and non-threatening nature of our plans. If the vote went 40-38, then we might have some difficulty, but we are hoping that the majority will be fairly generous in our favour. On the basis that it goes through comfortably, we would expect the retirals to be accepted on Thursday and then we can get on with establishing the details of the new structure that will take the Scottish game into the next century."

Sebastian Rozental is hopeful of playing for Chile in next summer's World Cup. He commentated on Chilean TV on Sunday as their national side clinched a place in France with a 3-0 victory over Bolivia in Santiago. Rozental said, "this is a very exciting moment for me and I want to tell everyone in Chile that I will be playing in the finals next year. I am making good progress from the injury and I expect to be back playing in Scotland very soon. This means such a lot to the people of Chile and we hope to make a big impression in France next year. To play in the World Cup would be the ultimate dream for me."

Billy McNeill watched Brian Laudrup play his first Old Firm match and thought that Rangers new signing would be a flop in Scotland. He said, "when I first saw Laudrup in an Old Firm match I must admit I thought Rangers had bought a pup. But since then he has emerged as a key player for them. That's the thing about Old Firm matches, they can overwhelm people. Laudrup looked as if the game had taken him by surprise. But that can happen to anyone, even the best, and Laudrup has proved he is one of the best to have come to this country. In fact, he's maybe the best of all. He's proved to be a really important player in Old Firm clashes since then."

"But I remember that first match and it shows that even the very best can suffer. It's the same with Wim Jansen who must have found last week's clash a culture shock. It is for most people the first time round. It was with Laudrup and it will have been for a few of Celtic's new signings. But who knows what will happen this time? It's a long time since Celtic won a league game against Rangers but the team has changed so much from last year I don't know if complexes mean anything. When I was involved I never worried about what had happened in the games before. It's the most unusual game on the football calendar. It's still an impossible game to forecast and Wednesday's game is of big, big proportions. Having said that, Rangers and Celtic have been separated from the rest of the field in the last few seasons. This time it's good to see Hearts putting in a challenge and I hope they can continue it. It used to be the four clashes between Rangers and Celtic were vitally important. Although they still are it's not the be-all-and-end-all."

17 November 1997

Lorenzo Amoruso has flown back to Italy to continue treatment on his injured Achilles tendon. The defender has been receiving treatment from the physio at his old club Fiorentina after an operation in September. Amoruso plans to return to Ibrox this weekend to begin the final stages of his recuperation.

Airdrie boss Alex MacDonald has refused to give up hope of signing Ally McCoist despite the Rangers player's insistence that he will remain at Ibrox to fight for his place. MacDonald said, "bringing Ally here would be a huge boost to us, and I'm convinced it would help him too. He's looking for first team football to keep himself in the frame for the World Cup and we can offer him that. We're doing all we can to bring him here although we appreciate things have to be right for all concerned."

Aberdeen caretaker manager Keith Burkenshaw paid tribute to his players after Saturday's draw against Rangers at Pittodrie. He said, that's the best we've played all season, no doubt about it. A lot of players played their best games today but I'm just disappointed they didn't do that before. I don't know why it happened because I said the same things to them that any other manager or coach would have said."

16 November 1997

Rangers seem to have lost out on the chance to make Richard Moller Nielsen their new boss after he signed a new two and a half year extension to his contract with the Finnish FA. The 60 year old Dane travelled to Potugal a fortnight ago to talk to Benfica before Graeme Souness was given the managers job there.

Lorenzo Amoruso is set to start training with the first team next week. He has only managed to play one testimonial match for Rangers so far but David Murray has blasted the critics who said he had signed an injury prone reject. He said, "this man was captain of Fiorentina and wanted by other major clubs. He will now prove Rangers did not sign some medically suspect dud. What nobody has appreciated is that I signed Lorenzo on a five year contract. If we lost him for six months, so what? He suffered no long term or serious damage. Now there are four and a half years left for Rangers to get exceptional value from a top class player."

Ian Durrant has been awarded a testimonial by Rangers. The 31 year old is out of contract at the end of the season and David Murray wanted to thank the player for his 13 years at Ibrox. Chelsea and Newcastle have been lined up as possible opponents for the match which should take place next March. Durrant said, "it will break my heart when I have to leave Ibrox but I know it has to happen some day."

Walter Smith was quite pleased with the chances Rangers created yesterday but was left disappointed by the result. He said, "in the first half we created as many chances as we ever have at Pittodrie. Yet therewere great saves from Leighton, poor misses and the Jess goal was a big blow. But both 'keepers were terrific throughout."

Smith is worried about a backlash from Celtic on Wednesday night. He said, "I feel Celtic will redouble their efforts at Parkhead. Celtic's new players wouldn't have known about the criticism that comes with defeat and they certainly won't want to repeat the experience. Brain Laudrup's hamstring strain isn't too bad. We would expect to have both Brian and Sergio Porrini fit for the Celtic game but Charlie Miller has picked up an ankle injury and may be missing for up to six weeks."

Marco Negri thinks Rangers and Celtic are good enough to play in Italy's Serie A. He said, "when I decided to come to Scotland people warned me the standard was no better than average. But I can see for myself it is much better than that. Obviously Rangers and Celtic are the strongest teamsand neither of them would struggle in Italy. They may not be quite good enough to challenge the very biggest teams but I think they would be between middle and top of Serie A. The Celtic match was incredible. My team-mates have been telling me it is a special game and now I know what they mean. I played againsy Juve, AC Milan, and Inter in Italy and the atmoshphere was great but nowhere near as intense as last week."

Brian Laudrup is hoping that his recent return to form will push Rangers towards the League Championship. He said, "I knew from the minute we kicked off last week against Celtic that it was our day. We showed we have the hunger that people say isn't there any more. They also said Richard Gough was too old but I didn't hear too much of that afterwards. He proved his worth and we seem strong now. We seem balanced and have proved those who say we lack desire are wrong."

"I knew after the level I hit last season it wouldn't be realistic to expect it to flow like that again. My commitment is as great as ever but you have to work for good performances, they don't just happen. I had a nightmare pre-season and I have to be fit to play the way I do. In the last couple of games I've started to feel it all coming together."

"I felt respect when Walter said he was going. It is unique that a manager spends 11 years at one club of this fame and pressure. You have to know when to go and there's no better time than 10-in-a-row. I'll be here until the last day of my contract, I promise. And all I want is to be one of the players who helps Walter go out on that high."

Ally McCoist has given himself until Christmas to get back in the Rangers side and denied rumours that he would join Airdrie on loan at the end of this week. He said, "nothing could be further from the truth, or further from my thoughts. No disrespect to Airdrie, but I have no intention of going anywhere on loan right now. My aim is to concentrate on my fitness and get back in the Rangers first team. I'm giving myself until the turn of the year to win back my place and all my efforts are going towards that goal at the moment. If things don't work out by the New Year I will sit down with the Walter Smith and look at my options. The gaffer has always kept me in the picture."

Rino Gattuso is hoping that he doesn't get himself booked within the first three minutes against Celtic again this week. He said, "I have never been so happy to finish a match in my loife as I was last week. Walter Smith realises that the strongest part of my game is my aggression. But even he wouldn't have expected me to collect a yellow card within three minutes against Celtic. Because I'm naturally competitive, it's easy to get carried away when the supporters are so hyped up. That's when I have to control what's going on in my mind. It would have been easy for me to get red-carded because I still had 87 minutes to survive. But for me that wasn't a great problem. Perhaps it got some of the agression out of my system very early on. Certainly, I found it easier to stay out of trouble for the rest of the match."

The Rangers manager has denied rumours that Jorg Albertz is on his way out of Ibrox. Borussia Moenchengladbach and Stuttgart have both been linked with the German midfielder this week b ut Smith said, "we have received no offers for Jorg and I don't want any."

15 November 1997

Pittodrie always proves to be a difficult ground for Rangers and this game was no exception. The Ibrox club completely dominated the first half but still went into the interval a goal down. The second half was more even and the game could have ended up at 5-5 if it had not been for a stunning display by both goalkeepers.

Aberdeen took a shock lead in injury time at the end of the first half when Eoin Jess neatly turned Richard Gough at the edge of the box and rifled an unstoppable shot into the top right hand corner.

It should really have been tied up by the break. Joe Miller cleared both a Gough header and a Staale Stensaas shot off the line in a two minute spell and Marco Negri toe poked the ball wide when he seemed certain to score. Jim Leighton also pulled off some outstanding saves to thwart the Ibrox side.

Five minutes into the second half Rangers equalised. Stuart McCall won the ball in midfield and sent Brian Laudrup away on the right hand side. The Dane had time to look up before sending an inch perfect cross to the back post which Jorg Albertz gleefully nodded home.

Rangers played well for long spells in the match without finding the killer touch. Marco Negri was kept quiet by the Aberdeen defence and Paul Gascoigne's inventiveness was missing from the middle of the park. The game should have been tied up before Jess scored but after the Dons took the lead it was always going to be more difficult.

The most worrying aspect with a view to the Old Firm meeting on Wednesday is that Brian Laudrup limped off with what looked like a hamstring injury with 20 minutes remaining.

Rangers
 
Goram       9                  
McCall      7                   
Cleland     6
Gough       7                  
Bjorklund   8
Stensaas    6
Albertz     7
Thern       6
Gattuso     7
Negri       6
Laudrup     7
Durie       1   (Sub)
McCoist     1   (Sub)
 
 

Man of the Match: Paul Gascoigne

Falkirk Follower

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22 November - 29 November 1997
8 November - 15 November 1997