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Former Rangers hero Mark Hateley has agreed a pay-as-you-play deal with Ross County.
Hateley, 37, who was capped 32 times for England will complete his move to County tomorrow Thursday, 2 September).
The veteran striker, who also played for AC Milan, Monaco, Portsmouth and QPR during his glittering career, has not played since being sacked as player-manager at Hull last season.
Hateley will be based at his Deby home and train with the squad for two days of the week. He said: "I am very hopeful that everything will be sorted out on Thursday and I can't wait to get started."
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Former Rangers striker Mark Hateley will join the rest of the Ross County squad for training this morning and, if he proves his fitness, the 37-year-old, capped 32 times for England, could line up at Forthbank on Saturday.
Last night County manager Neale Cooper said: "Mark will be at training with the rest of the lads tomorrow morning.
"If he's fit enough he could make his debut at Stirling on Saturday, especially as we have strikers Gary Wood and Michael Geraghty on the injured list at present.
"We'll have to assess him at training, but Mark's told me he's fit and, knowing him, I have no reason to doubt what he says.
"He will obviously want to look round our set-up here at Dingwall before committing himself to the club, but I'm very hopeful that we'll tie up the loose ends for him to become a Ross County player tomorrow."
If Hateley does decide to take a peg at Victoria Park, he will join fellow former internationals Nicky Walker and Brian Irvine, a summer signing from Dundee, at the ambitious Second Division club.
If, as anticipated, he does put pen to paper today, Hateley will commute from his home in Derby to train with his new teammates two days a week.
Hateley did his pre-season training with St Johnstone in Perth and has made no secret of the fact that he would like to end his playing days north of the border.
After a long, illustrious career with clubs such as AC Milan, Monaco, QPR and Rangers, Dingwall could be just the place to resurrect his career after leaving the post of player-manager at Hull last season.
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Ambitious Ross County eclipsed even the signing of Brian Irvine yesterday when former AC Milan, Monaco, Rangers and England striker Mark Hateley joined the Dingwall side.
Hateley will play for County on a pay-per-game basis and will go straight into Neale Cooper's squad for tomorrow's Second Division game at Stirling Albion.
The 37-year-old hitman quickly shrugged off the disappointment of missing his connecting flight to Inverness from Glasgow by two minutes and completing the journey to Dingwall by road to join his new teammates in a training session yesterday afternoon.
Hateley said he was looking forward to playing for Ross County.
"It took me only about two minutes here in Dingwall to make up my mind that I would join the club," he said. "Finance is not the major issue, it's all about coming here and playing football and enjoying my game. I have had other offers from other clubs over the last couple of weeks. No disrespect to any of them, but none of their set-ups can compare with the facilities at County.
"Neale knows how the game is played at the top level and understands what is needed."
Hateley feels that the pay-per-play arrangement brokered will suit all parties. He said: "I think it's best for both parties as nobody is burdened. As I haven't played for 10 months I expect the first five or six games will be hard but four or five months down the line I hope we will be sitting down to talk of something more solid for the future.
"I've made no secret of the fact that I'd like to finish my career in Scotland as moving away from Rangers and leaving Scotland was the biggest mistake I've made in the game."
County chairman Roy MacGregor was quick to stress that previous speculation that Hateley would be paid £2,500 a week was wildly exaggerated.
MacGregor said: "Money was never an issue with Mark. If it had been we couldn't have afforded him. He will not be the highest paid player at Victoria Park and it's a tribute to a man who has played at the top level all his life that he has even considered coming here."
Hateley said: "I made my money a long time ago and I think it's important that if you enjoy playing football then you should give something back to the game."
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Former Rangers and AC Milan star Mark Hateley will start for Ross County this afternoon when the Dingwall outfit visit Forthbank for the Second Division meeting with Stirling Albion.
The 37-year-old striker, who also turned out for AS Monaco and England, joined up at Victoria Park earlier in the week on a pay-per appearances deal with the Highlanders. Hateley said yesterday: "I just can't wait to play again, because it's been so long since I was involved. You really don't realise how much you miss it until you're out of it for a while. I had a few tussles with Brian Martin when he was at Motherwell, so it's funny that it's him I'll be up against in my first game. The main thing is to get the win, although obviously it would be nice if I could get a goal."
County boss Neale Cooper said: "Mark will start the game. He's looked very good in the training sessions we've had so far. He's a clever player and has very good control on the ball and has given the whole place a lift here. The only factor might be his fitness since he has been out of the game for so long, but that's just something we'll continue to monitor. Generally, the training games we've had with Mark have been of a really good standard and with his experience he'll know when he's done enough."
Hateley will step in to replace the injured Gary Woods, while Mike Geraghty and Paul Kinnaird also miss out for the Victoria Park side. Albion have a doubt over former Motherwell striker Ally Graham. Albion boss John Philliben said of Hateley's debut: "That's something we're aware of, but we'll only be worrying about our own game.
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Ross County manager Neale Cooper has backed the signing of Mark Hateley and insists the striker will prove the doubters wrong.
The ex-Rangers and England player arrived in a blaze of publicity last week, but, after last Saturday's defeat at Stirling, Cooper's decision to sign the player received some criticism.
Cooper believes Hateley will show the sceptics and cynics that he will be an asset to the club – starting with today's league trip to Recreation Park to face in-form Alloa.
"Mark Hateley is not here for the public relations of the club," said Cooper. "If we wanted him here as a stunt then we would have had him here for home games and not away games.
"While Mark is here he will try his best for Ross County. He is here for one reason and that is to strengthen the team."
The Dingwall side suffered its first league defeat of the season last week and Cooper is keen for his side to return to winning ways.
"We had a couple of meetings this week about last week's defeat by Stirling. Maybe with Mark Hateley coming it fired up Stirling," said Cooper.
"But sometimes it does not do you any harm. The other teams around us drew last week and perhaps we got out of jail."
County will face Alloa twice in the space of four days, with the Division 2 title challengers drawn to face each other in the Bell's League Challenge Cup on Tuesday night in Dingwall.
Cooper has had Alloa watched in recent weeks and believes his side faces another tough challenge if it is to maintain its good early season form.
He said: "It will be a good game against Alloa. We maybe got a wee lesson last week, but there is still a long way to go."
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Ross County manager Neale Cooper yesterday released Mark Hateley from his pay-as-you-play contract and admitted that he had made a major mistake in signing the former Rangers and England striker.
County signed the 37-year-old earlier this month, but he failed to make an impact in either of his two appearances for the club, away to Stirling Albion and Alloa.
The ambitious deal looked like a major coup for the Victoria Park side, but Hateley's lack of match fitness and general poor form was causing problems both on and off the park.
A disappointed Cooper said: "Mark Hateley was having a more positive affect on the opposition than Ross County and rather than let it go on I have nipped it in the bud and we have parted company with him.
"Mark has said that he needs seven or eight games to get his match fitness up and we just can't afford to give any player that amount of time. In that space of time I could be sacked.
"He came off just after half-time against Stirling because he was tired. He was quite fit but his match fitness wasn't there and he wasn't able to chase the ball into the corners.
"The fitness we need might have come but we just can't afford to wait that long. I've got to do what I think is best for Ross County."
"I could have kept Mark on for longer but I didn't think it was in the team's interests and I decided we should part company."
Cooper added that he had thought about the situation and had spoken to his chairman over the weekend before he made his decision.
"It was a hard decision to make, as Mark is a friend and a big name in football, but I had to make the right decision for the team's sake and I phoned Mark to tell him.
"It was a big decision and I wasn't going to bottle out of it, because I have never bottled out of them in the past and I'm not going to start now.
"Mark's transfer was not done as a PR exercise or for financial gain but because I thought he would benefit the team.
"If I wanted to bring him in for a PR exercise I would have played him in two home games rather than two away.
"It was an ambitious move by the club and I have to put my hands up and say that it hasn't worked.
"I thought it would work but it began to have a negative affect on the players and rumblings started in the dressing-room."
The players will be out to prove that there is life after Hateley tonight when they face Alloa Athletic at Victoria Park in League Challenge Cup.
County will be without injured John McGlashan and Michael Geraghty, and it is likely that Gary Wood or Paul Kinnaird will come in up front.
Alloa head for Dingwall defending the only unbeaten record left in Scotland.
The Wasps face County for the second time inside four days after a 2-0 Division 2 victory at the Recs on Saturday, the Wasps' 10th match without defeat this term.
Assistant manager Brian Fairley said: "It's far too long a journey to Dingwall not to take it seriously. We're going to win the match."
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Ross County yesterday moved to solve their current midfield crisis by signing former Hibernian and Raith Rovers player Danny Lennon on a short-term deal.
County moved quickly to secure a deal for the 29-year-old after his current deal with Ayr United ended this week.
The deal allows Victoria Park boss Neale Cooper to have a closer look at Lennon and to give the player a chance to look at the Dingwall club's ambitions.
Lennon will bring a great deal of top flight experience and he was also an important member in Raith Rovers' UEFA Cup experience only a few seasons ago.
He will also give County a much-needed option in midfield as Kenny Gilbert and John Fraser are currently suspended, Steve Ferguson is injured and Franck Escalon is also carrying a knock.
Cooper said: "Danny will train with us for a few days and then we'll try and get something sorted out in the longer term.
"We have been actively looking for new players in the last couple of weeks and I contacted Iain Munro at Ayr United and he said that Danny was available. Although they wanted to keep the player they felt they had an abundance of midfield players.
"Danny is a good player with great experience and excellent ability. He, like Ross County, is very ambitious and, hopefully, if things go well he will prove to be an important player in our long-term plans."
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Ross County might not wait a month before they try to make on-loan midfielder Danny Lennon a permanent addition to Neale Cooper's squad.
Lennon, signed for a month from Ayr United, made his County debut against Partick Thistle at Firhill on Saturday and impressed County No. 2 Gordon Chisholm.
"Danny slotted into the side well, showing lovely touch and good vision which gave us a creative edge in midfield," said Chisholm. "If he carries on like that, there's a good chance we might start talking to Gordon Dalziel about making his move permanent sooner rather than later."
Lennon's midfield promptings helped County add to Partick's woes with a win at Firhill which left John Lambie's side two points adrift at the bottom of the Division 2 table, while County made up ground on leaders Arbroath, who lost at home to Stranraer.
A 10th minute header from Ian Maxwell, who buried Paul Kinnaird's clever free kick, and a Gary Wood strike in the final minute, gave County their first away win of the season and Chisholm believes that could see the Easter Ross side launch a drive to the top of the table.
He said: "We want to lead the Second Division and, despite a good win at Partick, the best is yet to come from us.
"We can be far more fluent and play with much more rhythm than we did on Saturday, but it's never easy to win at Firhill and it's especially difficult just now because John Lambie has them scrapping for everything."
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