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[jietjon]

Celtic 2-4 RangersScoring Summary

Celtic Rangers

Georgios Samaras (39) Daniel Cousin (37)

Shunsuke Nakamura (90) Kenny Miller (52)

Miguel Pedro Mendes (62)

Kenny Miller (79)

Match Stats

Celtic Rangers

Shots (on Goal) 11(6) 12(7)

Fouls 12 18

Corner Kicks 7 8

Offsides 2 1

Time of Possession 50% 50%

Yellow Cards 2 5

Red Cards 1 1

Saves 1 4

Match Information

Stadium: Celtic Park, Scotland

Attendance: 58,595

Match Time: 12:30 UK

Teams

Celtic Rangers

1 Artur Boruc 1 Allan McGregor

2 Andreas Hinkel 21 Kirk Broadfoot

5 Gary Caldwell 3 David Weir

4 Stephen McManus 5 Sasa Papac

12 Mark Wilson 24 Madjid Bougherra

25 Shunsuke Nakamura 35 Steven Davis

11 Paul Hartley 4 Miguel Pedro Mendes

8 Scott Brown 8 Kevin Thomson

46 Aiden McGeady 11 Charlie Adam

13 Shaun Maloney 29 Daniel Cousin

9 Georgios Samaras 18 Kenny Miller

Substitutes

21 Mark Brown Neil Alexander 25

22 Glenn Loovens Christian Dailly 23

48 Darren O'Dea Jordan McMillan 47

17 Marc Luque Crosas Maurice Edu 2

19 Barry Robson Niguez Aaron 31

10 Jan Vennegoor Nacho Novo 10

23 Ben Hutchinson Kyle Lafferty 27

Substitutions

Jan Vennegoor for Georgios Samaras (72) Nacho Novo for Charlie Adam (78)

Barry Robson for Paul Hartley (72)

Ben Hutchinson for Mark Wilson (84)

Yellow Cards

Stephen McManus (15) Kevin Thomson (9)

Georgios Samaras (64) Daniel Cousin (57)

Charlie Adam (69)

Allan McGregor (74)

Kirk Broadfoot (77)

Red Cards

Jan Vennegoor (76) Daniel Cousin (75)

· Club Squads: Celtic | Rangers

Updated: August 31, 2008, 3:02 PM UK

Rangers striker Kenny Miller returned to haunt Celtic with a double strike against his former club in an incident packed game which saw two red cards as Walter Smith's side ran out 4-2 victors.

Daniel Cousin put the visitors ahead with a fine solo strike before Georgios Samaras had pounced to make it 1-1 at the interval.

But former Parkhead player Miller, whose first goal as a Celtic striker had been against Rangers, scored either side of a wonderful Pedro Mendes strike to take the visitors into a commanding lead.

The drama was far from over as both sides ended up with 10 men after Cousin and Hoops' substitute Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, on minutes earlier for Samaras, were sent off.

Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura fired in an injury-time consolation for the home side but there was no doubt that the visitors - and Miller, who has spent all his time trying to win over the Light Blues fans - had the last laugh.

Mendes and defender Madjid Bougherra made their Old Firm debuts, with Miller starting up front alongside Cousin as the visitors pressed in the opening minutes.

Cousin sparked the game into life in the 36th minute when, with no real sign of a breakthrough, he put the visitors ahead with a fine solo goal.

Mendes sent a looping ball up the right-hand side and the Rangers striker raced past Hoops left-back Mark Wilson with some ease, drove into the box and drilled an angled shot inside Artur Boruc and the post.

But two minutes later Celtic were level when Aiden McGeady's cross into the six-yard box was missed by David Weir and came off the hapless Sasa Papac straight to the feet of Samaras, who gleefully knocked it past Allan McGregor.

Up until then there had been little between the two sides.

It was the champions who came closest first when skipper Stephen McManus headed a Nakamura free-kick just wide of the far post in the seventh minute.

As the game became increasingly tetchy, Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson picked up a booking a minute later for a reckless and needless foul on Nakamura before McManus was also shown a yellow for throwing the ball at a referee's assistant following an unfavourable decision.

Samaras had a near-post header easily saved by McGregor before McGeady came closer when he sent a shot from distance just past the post.

On the half-hour mark, as the Light Blues took a turn of attacking, Cousin lashed a Steven Davis corner well over the bar.

But two minutes later, Rangers veteran defender Weir almost put Andreas Hinkel's cross into his own net, the ball flashing off the shoulder of McGregor before the Ibrox keeper collected.

The two goals took the sides into the interval level but the high tempo continued after the break with both sides quickly back into battle mode.

In the 51st minute, Rangers forged ahead for the second time through Miller.

After Cousin had been foiled at the edge of the box, the ball fell to Thomson who curled it to the far side of the box to Miller whose volley from 14 yards bounced once before zipping past Boruc at the far post.

Pandemonium ensued as Miller and most of the Rangers players headed for the corner to celebrate with the Light Blues' fans.

Then, in the 61st minute, there was more drama when Rangers went further ahead with an incredible strike from Mendes.

The Portugal international, unmarked 30 yards from goal, lined up a Steven Davis corner and unleashed a first time shot which sped past everyone in the packed penalty area to beat Boruc.

The champions looked stunned and boss Gordon Strachan brought on Vennegoor of Hesselink and Barry Robson for Samaras and Paul Hartley.

In the 75th minute, Cousin, booked earlier for persistent fouling, was shown another yellow then a red after clashing with McManus in an aerial battle. Then Vennegoor of Hesselink was shown a straight red for an apparent kick at Kirk Broadfoot.

The excitement was not finished as Boruc fumbled a Broadfoot cross allowing Miller the easiest of chances to prod the ball into the empty net for number four.

Wilson drew a fine save from McGregor with a drive from 25 yards before being replaced by Ben Hutchinson but by then the points and plaudits were destined for Ibrox.

In the first minute of injury time Nakamura was fouled at the edge of the box by Weir and the Japan international fired in a consolation from the free-kick.

A good result for Rangers i hate to say, but Miller doin the damage was on the cards. Walter Smith needing that , to silence the

doubters. Rangers looked one step ahead of Celtic. I admit the only reason Celtic won the league last year was due to Rangers

saturated fixtures in the run in. So Mr. Strachan waken up. Anyway .. fair play, the best team won.

[chavy]

Cracking result for the "blue nose's" ......agree with last post, Smith certainly needed that to appease the masses.

[Jockstar]

Walter Smith: We're feeling the pain of European exit

Sep 20 2008 By David Mccarthy

WALTER SMITH has been a Bear with a sore head this week and his cubs haven't been in the best of moods either.

Doesn't matter that they're top of SPL and playing football with the kind of swagger that was missing from much of last term's more pragmatic approach, Smith's lot were hurting on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

European football was back but Rangers were reaping what they'd sown in Kaunas and sat idle while the Continent's big guns - including four clubs they'd knocked out of the UEFA Cup last term - were strutting their stuff on the Champions League stage.

The Rangers manager felt his club's absence keenly and poured cold water on the theory that no European football gives them more time to prepare properly for an assault on domestic glory.

He said: "I don't think there is any doubt it has hit home, particularly at the start of this week.

"Once you qualify for the Champions League, you look forward to a number of games.

"I'll not say this week was more disappointing than the result in Kaunas but it probably equals it, knowing European football of any kind is going on. It was a bad week for us in that respect.

"Our performance in Kaunas has come home to roost, especially given the way the team has played in the last four games or so.

"If we'd played at that level, we'd have had high hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

"I watched some of the games on television. You see the likes of Panathinaikos, Sporting Lisbon, Fiorentina and Werder Bremen in the Champions League so the start of the week was tough for us.

"Whether we'd have won the last qualifying match or not is immaterial, at least it would have given us European football, so it has been extremely difficult to tune into that from the start of the week.

"It's no consolation that we get a week's full training. I don't care if Europe would help us or otherwise, you want to be involved, preferably at Champions League level.

"Even if you lose a game there, it is difficult to take but still far more enjoyable being there than not at all." The irony of tomorrow's home match against Motherwell, who have just returned from European exertions, is not lost on Smith.

He admits he has no idea how the Fir Park side will react to the mental and physical examination they faced in France during the 1-0 defeat by Nancy on Thursday.

Smith said: "I watched Motherwell and thought it was a good result for them. They have a good opportunity to progress.

"Hopefully they now get themselves a run of games and they would deserve that after how well they did last season.

"We had close encounters and fine matches against Motherwell last season and there is no doubt Sunday will be exactly the same.

"I don't know what will happen to Motherwell. At times last season we returned from Europe and dropped points but that's not to say it will affect Motherwell in the same manner.

"We don't know how Motherwell will handle it so we just have to go by last season, when we had good games. We will have to continue to do as well as we have been doing to achieve anything on Sunday."

Smith has a selection headache in midfield, where Kevin Thomson is fit again and is likely to return.

Maurice Edu may be the player to retreat to the bench and the manager will soon have another quality midfielder to call upon when skipper Barry Ferguson returns from injury.

Asked if his captain could expect to walk straight back into a team in which the midfield is functioning so well, Smith laughed and gave an insight into Ferguson's character.

He smiled: "He'll definitely expect to walk back in, knowing him! I keep joking we'll see him in December but he's not having it.

"He could play now if it wasn't for the deterioration in the calf muscle, that has to be built up after so long out.

"The specialist will try to hold him back while Barry wants to play. He is training, just with the football.

"As I said, I suppose he'll expect to walk straight back into the team. But remember he'll probably be looking at four months out all told so it will take him a wee while to get back in again, although the specialist is happy the injury won't hamper him again once it has cleared."

Of more immediate concern is the lack of a leftback for the visit of Well, following the red card picked up by Sasa Papac last week. With Steven Whittaker and Stevie Smith injured, Kirk Broadfoot may switch to the left with Christian Dailly coming in at right-back.

And Kris Boyd is likely to retain his place after his scoring exploits against Kilmarnock last week.

The striker won't be used every week but in home matches where Rangers expect to create chances, he will find himself employed more often than not.

Smith said: "I'll leave you to work out for yourself if this is his type of game. He played a lot of games for us last season and he'll play a lot this season."

[Mossfinn]

Ian McColl Obituary

Moss

[Jockstar]

Rangers 5-0 Inverness CT

Updated: November 1, 2008, 5:17 PM UK

Barry Ferguson finally made his long-awaited comeback - but his return was overshadowed as Rangers ran riot against Inverness to go top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League with a 5-0 win.

Nacho Novo opened the scoring before Kris Boyd helped himself to a hat-trick - making it six goals in seven days - and Kenny Miller completed the rout in what proved to be a breathtaking opening 45 minutes.

It proved to be the perfect match for Ferguson - who started the game on the bench - to make his first appearance of the season after recovering from ankle surgery in the summer.

Inverness actually carved out the first chance of the game with less than a minute gone when Don Cowie's free-kick was blocked by goalkeeper Allan McGregor, who fumbled the ball before quickly recovering.

But any confidence the Highlanders might have taken from that early opportunity was quickly shattered in emphatic style when Rangers embarked on a goalscoring spree which delighted the Ibrox faithful.

If Walter Smith had one complaint about his team, it was not coming out of the traps quickly enough this season. Not anymore.

The opener arrived after just seven minutes when Boyd was fouled by Ross Tokely on the edge of the area and dusted himself off to have a go with a long, low free-kick.

Goalkeeper Michael Fraser blocked but failed to gather the ball and could not prevent Novo from stabbing home the rebound from a couple of yards.

Rangers doubled their lead seven minutes later when Pedro Mendes released Miller into the box and he laid off to Boyd in plenty of space. The striker was able to pick his spot and slot into a gaping net.

Inverness were clearly rattled and only some desperate defending prevented them falling further behind when Miller met a Steven Davis corner with a glancing header which was cleared off the line by Richard Hastings.

But a mistake from Russell Duncan gifted Rangers their third of the day after 19 minutes when he was robbed of possession by Mendes, who slipped the pass through to Boyd in the box to lash home from 12 yards.

Boyd had completed his hat-trick by the time the game was 28 minutes old when referee Crawford Allan pointed to the penalty spot after Miller was tripped in the box by David Proctor.

With confidence already sky-high from his two earlier goals, Boyd left the goalkeeper with no chance when he unleashed a ferocious shot to cap a thoroughly miserable opening half hour for Caley Thistle.

Miller may have been the architect of two goals but he was denied the opportunity to add his own name to the scoresheet shortly before the break when Boyd teed up the shot only for his fellow striker to blast over when it looked easier to find the target.

But Miller was celebrating on the stroke of half-time when he lashed home a superb volley after Novo had supplied the cross from the byline following a decent ball down the right flank from Madjid Bougherra.

The moment Ferguson had been dreaming of for five months arrived 11 minutes into the second half when he finally made his long-awaited comeback to a rapturous reception from the home crowd.

With five goals already in the bag, there was also a debut for youngster Rory Loy, who was thrown into the action along with the returning captain.

There was little hope of a fightback from Inverness but they did almost pull a goal back when a full-stretch McGregor was forced to make a decent save to tip an Ian Black shot just over the crossbar.

Boyd must have thought he was set to add to his own tally when he threw himself in front of a Kirk Broadfoot cross from the right, only to see his point-blank header smothered by Fraser.

It proved to be his last chance to find the back of the net as he was withdrawn for DaMarcus Beasley with 15 minutes to go, having now hit double figures for the season.

Sasa Papac also came close with a shot that flashed across the face of goal and wide as Rangers were forced to settle for five goals.

[Jockstar]

Bit of a worry really!

Brum's move for Rangers' Boyd "dead" - McCleish

January 8, 2009

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Kris Boyd's move to Birmingham City from Rangers is ''dead'' and is unlikely to be resurrected, according to the Championship side's manager Alex McLeish.

Rangers striker Boyd looked set for a £3million-plus move to midlands club but McLeish revealed on Thursday the player and himself are ''miles apart'' regarding personal terms.

Ibrox boss Walter Smith earlier revealed he would welcome Boyd back if the move collapsed and that may now be on the cards.

McLeish said on Birmingham's official website: ''The situation is that we had some talks with Kris and his advisers yesterday and we were miles apart. And, as a result of that, the talks were concluded and there wasn't any agreement in place.

''We felt we had made a good offer and they're entitled to ask what they want and we respect that but that's it dead as far as I'm concerned. I've got to move on and it remains to be seen if it can be resurrected. At the moment it's unlikely.

''If somebody comes across my desk this afternoon, a player that I believe can make a difference to the team and it's within the parameters of the budgets, then I've got to move on.

''I have to do the best for Birmingham and for the Birmingham supporters.''

The stumbling block appears to be Boyd's wage demands and McLeish backed his own board's stance on the issue.

''I go along with the board because I felt it was a very fair offer and so there's a little bit of an impasse there,'' he said.

Boyd, the Clydesdale Bank Premier League's top scorer this season, arrived for training at Murray Park on Thursday morning, with his advisers still attempting to thrash out personal terms with Birmingham.

Smith confirmed a fee had been agreed for the 25-year-old striker - reportedly between £3.75-£4million - but insisted if the deal broke down, there was every chance the striker could stay.

Smith told his club's official website: ''There is that possibility. If they can't agree on the personal aspects, that is exactly what will happen.

''Currently, the clubs have agreed a fee and the player's representatives are in discussions with Birmingham with regards to personal terms of the contract - we await a decision from both of them as to what will happen.''

Sir David Murray's decision to sanction the sale of Boyd has sparked fears of a fire sale at Ibrox but Smith echoed his chairman's assertion that would not be the case.

He said: ''I think that chairman has made it quite clear that if we sold a player, Kris Boyd or any other, there would be no need for us to sell anybody else.

''That was clear in the articles he did this morning so if the deal does go through, then there would be no necessity for us to sell any other player.''

However, should the Boyd move break down, it appears the likes of captain Barry Ferguson, defender Madjid Bougherra and goalkeeper Allan McGregor would then be made available for transfer.

[rott]

What's your opinion Jockstar, is there really a need for one or more of these players to be sold? How do you mount a serious challenge by selling your best men?

[Jockstar]

What's your opinion Jockstar, is there really a need for one or more of these players to be sold? How do you mount a serious challenge by selling your best men?

I'm not sure whats going on mate. Why do we want to sell our top goal scorer or captain? Just to raise about 6 million tops. No idea. But on a better note, it was nice to see Celtic drop points yesterday.

Rangers 3-1 Falkirk

Kris Boyd showed Rangers exactly what they would be missing if he was sold this month by masterminding their 3-1 win over Falkirk in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

The Bairns took a shock early lead through Steve Lovell before Boyd - who had looked to be on his way to Birmingham after an offer of more than £3million was accepted - hauled Rangers back into the game from the penalty spot.

Patrick Cregg and Sasa Papac were dismissed to reduce both teams to 10 men before Boyd grabbed his second of the day, much to the delight of an Ibrox faithful who were furious at the club's plans to sell their leading goalscorer.

Steven Davis then rounded off the victory in the final minute, as Rangers slashed Celtic's lead at the top of the table to two points ahead of their game against Aberdeen on Sunday.

It had been another turbulent week off the field for Rangers, who were well aware of the pressure they were under to deliver a positive result against Falkirk.

Ibrox chairman Sir David Murray had been targeted by fans' groups, who launched a 'We Deserve Better' campaign to voice their unhappiness at the owner's running of the club.

Boss Walter Smith had feared protests at this game could have a detrimental effect on his team but the match passed without any demonstrations.

Another talking point, defender Madjid Bougherra's plan to wear a black armband in protest at Israel's actions in Gaza, also failed to materialise following opposition from the Scottish Football Association.

As well as Boyd, talented teenager John Fleck had been linked with a move south of the border, with Manchester United and Tottenham reportedly among those interested in the 17-year-old.

He earned his first SPL start against the Bairns - perhaps to underline how much Rangers value him - replacing Steven Naismith.

Falkirk handed a debut to former Hearts and Celtic defender Steven Pressley who joined the Bairns following a spell with Danish outfit Randers.

Pressley did well early on when Kenny Miller burst through on goal and the veteran defender produced a well-timed tackle to prevent the striker from unleashing the shot from the edge of the box.

Rangers were then stunned to find themselves trailing with just 12 minutes on the clock when Lovell handed Falkirk a surprise lead.

Neil McCann was the provider with a through ball to the feet of Lovell, who skipped past Bougherra.

The shot was far from convincing and Allan McGregor appeared to get a slight touch but the goalkeeper could not prevent the ball from hitting the back of the net.

Rangers could have restored parity when Boyd's lay-off was met by Miller but he was denied the leveller by a superb finger-tip save from Robert Olejnik.

At the other end, Scott Arfield tried his luck with a speculative shot from distance which was not too far away and dipped just over the crossbar, although McGregor did appear to have the effort covered.

Boyd then went to ground in the box following a challenge from Olejnik but the goalkeeper appeared to take the ball and no penalty was given.

There was another plea moments later, this time for a McCann foul on Barry Ferguson, but the claim was also ignored by referee William Collum.

The official finally did point to the spot on the stroke of half-time when Boyd was fouled by Patrick Cregg and the striker stepped up himself to lash home his 21st goal of the season.

McGregor was then called into action when he raced off his line to make a dramatic clearance as Lovell bore down goal. Arfield collected and tried to chip the goalkeeper but was well wide of target.

Rangers' hopes of winning the game received a boost with 52 minutes gone when Cregg was shown a straight red card for a crunching tackle on Pedro Mendes.

Boyd then saw his downward header from close range blocked as the home side desperately battled for a winner, before the Falkirk keeper then produced an excellent save to bat a header from Kirk Broadfoot at the back post to safety.

Rangers suffered a set-back of their own when Papac was also shown a straight red card with 12 minutes to go for a challenge on Mark Stewart.

But the Ibrox side refused to give up and surged into the lead a minute later.

Nacho Novo had come off the bench to replace Miller and he pounced on a Davis ball before drawing a save from Olejnik with an angled drive.

The ball broke kindly to Boyd and all that was required from the striker was to tap home the rebound from close range to secure an important win.

Davis put the gloss on the victory when he slotted home from six yards in the final minute.

[rott]

Nice one Aberdeen, Bon Accord as they say, many things are now possible.

[MSingh]

& rightly so, the Ref was dreadful throughout the Game, for both sides..

Rangers' appeal against the red card shown to defender Sasa Papac in Saturday's win over Falkirk has been referred to the SFA's review panel.

The 28-year-old Bosnian was shown a straight red card by referee William Collum for a foul on Mark Stewart.

Papac will be available for selection for Saturday's lunchtime SPL encounter with Aberdeen at Pittodrie. "The referee accepted that the player had not been guilty of serious foul play, " an SFA spokesperson said.

[Jockstar]

& rightly so, the Ref was dreadful throughout the Game, for both sides..

Rangers' appeal against the red card shown to defender Sasa Papac in Saturday's win over Falkirk has been referred to the SFA's review panel.

The 28-year-old Bosnian was shown a straight red card by referee William Collum for a foul on Mark Stewart.

Papac will be available for selection for Saturday's lunchtime SPL encounter with Aberdeen at Pittodrie. "The referee accepted that the player had not been guilty of serious foul play, " an SFA spokesperson said.

I actually watched the incident tonight. Never should have been a sending off. Yellow but not a red.

[MSingh]

& rightly so, the Ref was dreadful throughout the Game, for both sides..

Rangers' appeal against the red card shown to defender Sasa Papac in Saturday's win over Falkirk has been referred to the SFA's review panel.

The 28-year-old Bosnian was shown a straight red card by referee William Collum for a foul on Mark Stewart.

Papac will be available for selection for Saturday's lunchtime SPL encounter with Aberdeen at Pittodrie. "The referee accepted that the player had not been guilty of serious foul play, " an SFA spokesperson said.

I actually watched the incident tonight. Never should have been a sending off. Yellow but not a red.

He could have only sent him off if if the Ref thought it was a Goal scoring opportuinity but he was 60 - 65 Yards from Goal...

[rott]

Cancel previous positive comment about Aberdeen............and Rangers.

[Jockstar]

NOt good. But at least its a point.

[SweatySock]

In the League Cup Final on March 15th against either Dundee United or that "other lot", first silverware of the season?

What do you think of our chances, personally, I feel we will probably go on to win it?

[SweatySock]

It's an "Old Firm" final on March 15th. Still, makes winning it that bit sweeter.

[Jockstar]

SPL: Fleck penalty moves Rangers closer

January 31, 2009

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John Fleck netted his first goal for Rangers as they claimed a 2-0 victory over Dundee United and moved to within a point of Celtic in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

The teenager won, and then converted, a second-half penalty before Kyle Lafferty sealed the win in injury time.

The previous meetings between the clubs had both ended in draws but United were forced to return to Tannadice empty-handed this time as Rangers piled the pressure on Celtic ahead of the champions' trip to Inverness.

Simon Mensing scored both goals as Hamilton recorded their first-ever top-flight victory over Hearts to climb to eighth in the table.

Jambos owner Vladimir Romanov joined the New Douglas Park crowd to take in his first Hearts game since November 2007, but his side offered little attacking threat as Accies won 2-0 to complete a perfect January, which has yielded five straight victories in all competitions.

Mensing opened the scoring 11 minutes in by converting a Brian Easton corner and then made it four goals in as many games with a penalty early in the second half after Robbie Neilson brought down James McCarthy.

Hearts travelled without captain Christophe Berra, who is discussing terms with Wolves after the Tynecastle club accepted a reported £2.3million offer for the centre-half.

Dennis Wyness came off the bench to rescue a 1-1 draw for St Mirren after Kevin Kyle had threatened to spoil the Paisley club's first game at their new stadium.

Kyle headed home on his Kilmarnock debut and it looked like his would be the only bright new start after Alan Combe saved Jim Hamilton's penalty.

But Wyness grabbed a late equaliser after a mistake by Combe, who had controversially escaped a red card for hacking down Craig Dargo.

Michael Higdon's second-half goal gave Falkirk a vital 1-0 win over Aberdeen as they eased away from relegation trouble.

Former Crewe striker Higdon latched onto a pass from strike partner Steve Lovell 10 minutes after the break to net the only goal of the game and stretch the Bairns' advantage over bottom side Inverness to five points.

The defeat brought to an end a run of only one loss in nine games for Aberdeen, whose best chances fell to skipper Scott Severin on an afternoon of frustration in front of goal.

David Clarkson rescued a deserved 1-1 draw for Motherwell to deny Hibernian victory in a hotly-contested clash at Easter Road.

Clarkson converted a penalty with 15 minutes remaining following substitute Steven Thicot's foul on Jamie Murphy.

Hibs had taken the lead in the eighth minute when Derek Riordan found the net with a composed finish from 10 yards from Ross Chisholm's cutback.

[Jockstar]

Rangers 2-0 Dundee United

Updated: January 31, 2009, 5:23 PM UK

John Fleck netted his first goal for Rangers as they claimed a 2-0 victory over Dundee United and moved to within a point of Celtic in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

The teenager won, and then converted, a second-half penalty before Kyle Lafferty sealed the win in injury-time.

The previous meetings between the clubs had both ended in draws but United were forced to return to Tannadice empty-handed this time as Rangers piled the pressure on Celtic ahead of the champions' trip to Inverness tomorrow.

Nacho Novo was rewarded for his two goals in Tuesday night's Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-final win over Falkirk with another starting role, as boss Walter Smith made two changes from the Hampden clash.

Sasa Papac and Steven Naismith were both dropped to the bench and replaced by Steven Whittaker and Fleck.

United made three changes from their own epic cup tie with Celtic, which saw them loss 11-10 on penalties.

Flood's move to Celtic yesterday saw him replaced in midfield by David Robertson, while Darren Dods and Danny Grainger took the place of skipper Lee Wilkie and Paul Dixon.

Rangers carved out the first chance when Pedro Mendes released Kris Boyd, who laid the ball off to Steven Davis on the right but the midfielder's shot cannoned off the body of Grainger.

At the other end, Morgaro Gomis tried his luck from distance only to drag the shot wide, with Allan McGregor untroubled in the Rangers goal.

McGregor was then called into action to smother a close-range strike from Robertson when a Garry Kenneth ball into the box broke kindly to him in front of goal.

Rangers should have taken the lead when Novo embarked on an excellent run before unselfishly teeing up the shot for Boyd but the usually-prolific goalscorer missed the target completely when he side-footed wide from 10 yards.

The impressive Fleck then forced a superb one-handed save from Lukasz Zaluska when he saw his ferocious effort from the edge of the area tipped just over the crossbar by the Dundee United goalkeeper.

But Rangers suffered a blow shortly before the break when Novo pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring strain and his place was taken by Kenny Miller.

Grainger picked up the first booking of the game for upending Madjid Bougherra 10 minutes after the restart.

The defender recovered enough to embark upon a blistering run down the right flank before squaring across the face of goal for Boyd.

But the striker was frustrated once again when his close-range volley was blocked by Zaluska as United held firm.

Lafferty replaced Boyd with just over 20 minutes to go and had the ball in the back of the net within a few minutes of being on the park, but only after being flagged offside.

The breakthrough eventually came with 77 minutes on the clock when Fleck was fouled in the area by Mihael Kovacevic.

The 17-year-old dusted himself off and coolly converted from 12 yards to claim his first senior goal for Rangers and put the Ibrox side in the driving seat.

Lafferty then helped himself to a goal of his own in injury-time. Zaluska raced off his line to block from Barry Ferguson and the big striker was on hand to lash the rebound into the back of the net.

Miller then saw his shot saved by Zaluska before firing the rebound across the face of goal, but Rangers already had the points in the bag.

[callum06]

Great to see uncle Walter giving John Fleck a chance...anyone have a link to the goals??

[Jockstar]

Great to see uncle Walter giving John Fleck a chance...anyone have a link to the goals??

Have a look Here!

and Here!

[callum06]

Great to see uncle Walter giving John Fleck a chance...anyone have a link to the goals??

Have a look Here!

and Here!

Thank you

[Jockstar]

Celtic v Rangers: Preview

Updated: February 14, 2009, 12:40 PM UK

Celtic midfielder Shaun Maloney is a major doubt for Sunday's Old Firm derby at Parkhead.

Maloney returned for the Homecoming Scottish Cup win over Queen's Park last week after recovering from a hamstring injury which had kept him out since

December but the problem flared up again in training this week and manager Gordon Strachan will assess him before selecting his team.

Skipper Stephen McManus has recovered from a knee injury but defender Mark Wilson is out for four weeks after undergoing a pelvis operation.

Strachan has no fears about Artur Boruc's state of mind.

The controversial goalkeeper is still under the spotlight despite Strachan declaring he had dealt with the Poland international's training-ground spat with Aiden McGeady, which occurred more than a week ago.

Boruc was reportedly fined by the Parkhead club for an incident during their pre-season tour of Holland and was also banned for two games by his national team for breaking a late-night curfew in Kiev after a friendly against Ukraine.

Despite a number of high-profile errors between the sticks this season, including a poor performance against Rangers in the 4-2 defeat at Parkhead in August, Boruc has returned to the international fold.

Yet, after Wednesday night's 1-0 win over Wales in the Algarve, Poland assistant coach Jan de Zeeuw was reported in one newspaper as saying the pressure on the keeper made it "difficult for him''.

Strachan has struggled to draw a line under the incident involving Boruc and McGeady but, ahead of the game against Rangers, the Celtic boss said: "I don't think there should be any problems whatsoever.

"It's done, the incident is finished and we get on with it.

"It's the only way I can deal with it.

"I haven't seen (what the Poland coach said) but I'm not interested. I deal with what I see and I get on with it.''

Asked if Boruc will play in the derby clash, Strachan replied: "You will find out on Sunday.''

Victory for Celtic will stretch their lead over Rangers at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League to five points.

Rangers manager Walter Smith has no fresh injury worries as all players involved in international duty midweek returned unscathed.

However, Nacho Novo misses the trip after suffering an ankle injury during the win over Dundee United two weeks ago.

Kyle Lafferty could not care less what system Rangers play - as long as he starts up front.

Despite struggling to establish himself at Ibrox since joining from Burnley last summer, Lafferty is being hotly tipped for a lone striker role.

The 21-year-old Northern Ireland international impressed in the position in last week's glamour friendly with AC Milan, days after coming off the bench to inspire an SPL win against Dundee United.

Smith must decide whether to field a two-man strikeforce against Celtic or deploy a single front-runner in a bid to bolster his midfield.

Lafferty, whose run-out against United two weeks ago was his first senior action for more than a month, said: "I don't mind, I don't mind. I just want to play up front, so whatever formation, whatever team he puts out, hopefully I'll be up there.''

Should Smith go with a one-pronged attack, Lafferty will compete with Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller for the job.

Until recently, the former Burnley man would have been the rank outsider, but he is now a genuine contender.

"It is my position and I just want to play up there,'' said Lafferty, who has also filled Rangers' problem left-wing berth.

"I thought I did reasonably well against AC Milan, so hopefully I can get another chance.''

Lafferty has been labelled in some quarters as an expensive flop after Rangers shelled out around £3million for his services.

But he insists being played in his preferred position will help him prove the doubters wrong.

[StevieH]

jock, that was one of the most boring games of football i have seen in some time.

[bkkjames]

jock, that was one of the most boring games of football i have seen in some time.

Agreed, other than some hard challenges - nothing to watch. zzzz

[Jockstar]

jock, that was one of the most boring games of football i have seen in some time.

Agreed, other than some hard challenges - nothing to watch. zzzz

Glad i didnt see it then. I had to be up at 5am and as it was an 11.30pm kickoff here. Thought i'd watch the replay today. But i wont bother now.

[bkkjames]

jock, that was one of the most boring games of football i have seen in some time.

Agreed, other than some hard challenges - nothing to watch. zzzz

Glad i didnt see it then. I had to be up at 5am and as it was an 11.30pm kickoff here. Thought i'd watch the replay today. But i wont bother now.

Well let me qualify both stevie and my interest in the game - it was down to nothing more than lack of real football on the TV,

[StevieH]

Well let me qualify both stevie and my interest in the game - it was down to nothing more than lack of real football on the TV,

speak for yourself jamesy, i was cheering on my old mum's team against the dirty teddy bears.

[bkkjames]

Well let me qualify both stevie and my interest in the game - it was down to nothing more than lack of real football on the TV,

speak for yourself jamesy, i was cheering on my old mum's team against the dirty teddy bears.

ah ok, thought you were just bored, like me.

[callum06]

The parts of the game i saw were worse than terrible but Super Ally summed it up well in this article...

Stop slagging off Old Firm stars urges Ally McCoist after bore draw

Feb 17 2009

RANGERS assistant manager Ally McCoist has asked critics of the Old Firm to "cut the players some slack" following their drab goalless draw.

Celtic emerged from Sunday's remarkably dull encounter still two points clear at the top of the SPL - but the quality of football on show was slammed by pundits and supporters of both clubs.

Former striker McCoist asked for the game to be put in to context.

"It wasn't a good game but do you know something? - I can't remember the last 0-0 draw," he said.

"I think it was the second 0-0 Old Firm game in around 10 years.

"And although I might be wrong, I don't think I played in one - and I played in more than 50 of them.

"So why don't we just cut the players a bit of slack in this one, eh?

"I think the criticism has been a wee bit over the top.

"In Old Firm games in recent years, you've had a 4-2 and a 3-2.

"I agree it wasn't a great game but I'm not going overboard in saying how poor it was.

"In an ideal world, you would hope it is a great game with goals flying in left, right and centre and with great pieces of skill.

"Make no mistake about it, we want to play entertaining teams and entertaining football, that's the second most important thing to winning for me."

Striker Steven Naismith, who came on as a second-half substitute on Sunday, admits it was only after he watched the game on television that he realised how poor it had been.

However, the former Kilmarnock player also called for the critics to give the players some leeway.

He said: "During the game, you are too busy looking at what your own team are doing, so you are not concentrating on how the game in general is going.

"So it wasn't until I watched the highlights that I noticed it wasn't the greatest of games.

"But every game can't be a 3-3 draw; they all can't be brilliant.

"The last two Old Firm games have not been the greatest of games but every other one has been entertaining.

"There was a 3-0 at Ibrox which was entertaining, and a couple at Parkhead towards the end of last season were entertaining.

"It's all about getting results.

"We would take boring 1-0 wins all season.

"You obviously want to put a good performance on but you can't do that on every time."

Rangers will get the chance to rack up the goals against Forfar when they take on the Irn-Bru Third Division side at Station Park tomorrow night.

However, McCoist insists it is the fear of being on the wrong end of a cup shock which - would match the infamous 1967 defeat at Berwick Rangers - that will inspire the Ibrox players.

He said: "This is what playing for the Old Firm is all about, going to places like this in the cup.

"Make no mistake about it, you are playing for your pride because you are a scalp, a massive, massive scalp to those boys.

"And if they get you, you don't forget it for the rest of your life, it's a simple as that.

"So the fear of losing should be a spur enough."

[rott]

4-0 at Forfar was a half-decent result, but they didn't look very convincing. Forfar played well in the first half, then tired towards the end when Rangers greater fitness made the result more respectable for them, and a bit disappointing for the home side.