Rangers

[Jockstar]

Rangers could draw either Arsenal, Liverpool, AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, Villarreal or Lyon. Ouch!!! It's gonna be tough!!

I would actually say they had a chance against Arsenal, Liverpool, Villarreal or Lyon but I reckon they would just crumble against the others.

Anyone know when the draw is?

[bluebear]

Friday lunchtime ( CET )

what a numpty that Underhill is, how he booked HUtton is a mystery.

[Jockstar]

Friday lunchtime ( CET )

what a numpty that Underhill is, how he booked HUtton is a mystery.

At least we are back to winning ways. Report from soccernet.com

Kilmarnock 2-3 Rangers

PA

A Peter Lovenkrands hat-trick saw Rangers finally return to winning ways with a 3-2 success at Kilmarnock.

But they were made to sweat for the three points after goals from Gary McDonald and Kris Boyd threw their hosts a lifeline.

The game marked four years in the Ibrox hotseat for Alex McLeish and it has been a rollercoaster four years for the Rangers boss.

He looked unlikely to be around long enough to celebrate that milestone, until winning the surprise backing of chairman David Murray earlier in the week, 48 hours after leading Rangers into the last 16 of the Champions League.

But there was no escaping the cold, hard facts facing the Scottish champions ahead of the trip to Kilmarnock: 20 points adrift of Bank of Scotland Premier League leaders Celtic, fifth in the table, 10 games without a win and trailing today's opposition.

However, for periods of the game, this was more like the Rangers of old.

It was revealed today Lovenkrands had rejected a cut-price, three-year contract extension three months ago but, on the basis of this performance, Rangers might want to rethink the cash on offer.

The Ibrox club signalled their intent early on when skipper Barry Ferguson whipped a dangerous ball into the box and only the quick reaction of goalkeeper Alan Combe allowed him to smother before Lovenkrands could connect.

But there was no stopping the Dane when he fired Rangers ahead after 16 minutes. A long throughball from Bob Malcolm released Lovenkrands into the box and he kept his nerve to flick over Combe.

The home fans screamed for offside and, even though Simon Ford appeared to play Lovenkrands on, it was a theory Killie boss Jim Jefferies was willing to subscribe to and his own furious reaction earned him a seat in the stand.

The Kilmarnock supporters were venting their fury again when Malcolm appeared to handle in the box but referee John Underhill ignored the pleas.

Rangers were threatening again when Lovenkrands squared into the path of Thomas Buffel, and only a superb block from Combe prevented his point-blank shot from hitting the back of the net.

But the Scottish champions extended their lead after 42 minutes.

Buffel intercepted a Ford header before slotting into the path of Lovenkrands. He raced into the box from the left flank before rattling the ball home into the roof of the net.

Lovenkrands could have had a hat-trick before the break, only for his shot to be parried by Combe, before Chris Burke's rebound effort was hooked off the line by Ford.

Rangers made a change at the interval, Alan Hutton replacing Fernando Ricksen.

The second half was barely under way before Rangers were causing problems for the Kilmarnock defence.

Burke burst down the right flank, before squaring to Steven Smith in front of goal, but the youngster failed to connect properly and prodded well wide at full- stretch.

Instead, with 61 minutes gone, Kilmarnock pulled a goal back.

Rangers goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus spilled the ball under pressure from Boyd and Marvin Andrews, in his attempts to clear, was robbed of possession by Steven Naismith.

The striker looked as though he would have a shot at goal himself, but he selflessly squared to McDonald and all that was required was to slot home from close range.

Just when Kilmarnock thought there was time to mount a comeback, Lovenkrands struck again to claim his hat-trick.

It was Buffel who did all the hard work, weaving past the Killie defenders, before Lovenkrands snatched the ball from his feet to finish in style after 72 minutes.

It was his final contribution to the game and he left the field to a standing ovation seconds later, outdone only by the reception Nacho Novo, back in action after a broken foot, received from the Rangers fans.

But there was to be a tense finish to the game after all when the ball broke to Boyd from a Stevie Murray free-kick and he bundled over with eight minutes to go.

[bluebear]

Rangers 4-1 Livingston

Strikers Kris Boyd and Dado Prso each scored twice.

On eight minutes, Boyd rifled home from seven yards after a Peter Lovenkrands shot rebounded into the striker's path.

Wes Hoolahan and Paul Dalglish wasted chances for Livi before Gabor Vincze levelled with a fantastic strike.

But Boyd turned on a Thomas Buffel pass to stab Rangers back in front and Prso blasted in a free-kick before drilling another home an impressive late shot.

Rangers were the superior side and created more chances but Livingston were always in the game until Prso's late double.

The home side were guilty of slowing the game down after taking an early lead and only really woke up when the visitors equalised.

Lovenkrands tested Livingston goalkeeper Roddy McKenzie in the first few minutes and the Dane had a hand in the opening goal.

His shot cannoned off a defender and fell kindly to the feet of Boyd, who found the net with a quick reaction shot.

Lovenkrands then hooked wildly past the post, before Buffel was denied by a top-drawer save from McKenzie.

Early in the second-half, Lovenkrands sent a looping header just over the crossbar.

Hoolahan and Dalglish threatened the Rangers goal before the home fans were stunned by a great finish.

Vincze burst through the middle of a static defence and slotted past goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus after 52 minutes.

The Ibrox side's response was immediate and Lovenkrands unleashed a powerful, long-range drive which McKenzie just managed to touch away.

But Boyd settled the Rangers nerves when he picked up a reverse pass from Buffel before lashing the ball home.

A header from Vincze grazed the side-netting and Rangers were in need of another goal.

A delicate touch from substitute Prso sent Buffel into the penalty box but the Belgian international fired over.

It was left to Prso to hand his team-mates a lesson in finishing when he drilled home a free-kick from the edge of the area with a minute to go, before grabbing his second of the day with a low drive seconds later.

Rangers: Waterreus, Ricksen, Andrews, Kyrgiakos (Smith 45), Murray, Burke, Malcolm, Ferguson, Buffel, Kris Boyd (Novo 80), Lovenkrands (Prso 63). Subs Not Used: Klos, Hemdani, Hutton, Lowing.

Goals: Kris Boyd 8, 56, Prso 89, 90.

Livingston: McKenzie, Mackay, Tierney, Pinxten, Strong, McNamee (Walker 68), Brittain, Vincze, Hoolahan (Dair 86), Dalglish (Snodgrass 72), Hislop. Subs Not Used: Roy, Scott, Boyd, Dorrans.

Booked: McNamee, Vincze, Strong. Goal: Vincze 52.

Att: 49,211

Ref: E Smith

[Spit the Dog]

Rangers are slowly closing the gap on Hearts. Only 7 points now between Rangers in fourth place and Hearts in second place with Hibs sandwiched in between. Can't really see anybody catching Celtic though.

Being a Falkirk Bairn, I was delighted to see Rangers do us a favour and beat the plastic men of Livingston yesterday. We play Livvy next week in a relegation dog fight. We need to get at least a draw to make sure that they don't close the gap on us.

[Thai Bairn]

Being a Falkirk Bairn, I was delighted to see Rangers do us a favour and beat the plastic men of Livingston yesterday. We play Livvy next week in a relegation dog fight. We need to get at least a draw to make sure that they don't close the gap on us.

I thought I was the only Falkirk fan is Thailand!! We should start a Thai supporters club.

If we lose on Saturday relegation looms and Yogi will have to go. Never been a boo boy but listening to last couple of games he has no tactical awareness whatsoever.

I'm not confident about next week at all.

[Musophobia]

Being a Falkirk Bairn, I was delighted to see Rangers do us a favour and beat the plastic men of Livingston yesterday. We play Livvy next week in a relegation dog fight. We need to get at least a draw to make sure that they don't close the gap on us.

I thought I was the only Falkirk fan is Thailand!! We should start a Thai supporters club.

If we lose on Saturday relegation looms and Yogi will have to go. Never been a boo boy but listening to last couple of games he has no tactical awareness whatsoever.

I'm not confident about next week at all.

Will Peter LongHair's Charlton get a spanking tonight??? That IS the question.

[Jockstar]

Rangers 4-1 Livingston

Strikers Kris Boyd and Dado Prso each scored twice.

On eight minutes, Boyd rifled home from seven yards after a Peter Lovenkrands shot rebounded into the striker's path.

Wes Hoolahan and Paul Dalglish wasted chances for Livi before Gabor Vincze levelled with a fantastic strike.

But Boyd turned on a Thomas Buffel pass to stab Rangers back in front and Prso blasted in a free-kick before drilling another home an impressive late shot.

Rangers were the superior side and created more chances but Livingston were always in the game until Prso's late double.

The home side were guilty of slowing the game down after taking an early lead and only really woke up when the visitors equalised.

Lovenkrands tested Livingston goalkeeper Roddy McKenzie in the first few minutes and the Dane had a hand in the opening goal.

His shot cannoned off a defender and fell kindly to the feet of Boyd, who found the net with a quick reaction shot.

Lovenkrands then hooked wildly past the post, before Buffel was denied by a top-drawer save from McKenzie.

Early in the second-half, Lovenkrands sent a looping header just over the crossbar.

Hoolahan and Dalglish threatened the Rangers goal before the home fans were stunned by a great finish.

Vincze burst through the middle of a static defence and slotted past goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus after 52 minutes.

The Ibrox side's response was immediate and Lovenkrands unleashed a powerful, long-range drive which McKenzie just managed to touch away.

But Boyd settled the Rangers nerves when he picked up a reverse pass from Buffel before lashing the ball home.

A header from Vincze grazed the side-netting and Rangers were in need of another goal.

A delicate touch from substitute Prso sent Buffel into the penalty box but the Belgian international fired over.

It was left to Prso to hand his team-mates a lesson in finishing when he drilled home a free-kick from the edge of the area with a minute to go, before grabbing his second of the day with a low drive seconds later.

Rangers: Waterreus, Ricksen, Andrews, Kyrgiakos (Smith 45), Murray, Burke, Malcolm, Ferguson, Buffel, Kris Boyd (Novo 80), Lovenkrands (Prso 63). Subs Not Used: Klos, Hemdani, Hutton, Lowing.

Goals: Kris Boyd 8, 56, Prso 89, 90.

Livingston: McKenzie, Mackay, Tierney, Pinxten, Strong, McNamee (Walker 68), Brittain, Vincze, Hoolahan (Dair 86), Dalglish (Snodgrass 72), Hislop. Subs Not Used: Roy, Scott, Boyd, Dorrans.

Booked: McNamee, Vincze, Strong. Goal: Vincze 52.

Att: 49,211

Ref: E Smith

Great result. Boyd has been a great buy. And for Prso to come on as sub and score 2. Things are starting to look better for the season. Though i will be surprised if we can catch Celtic.

[Thai Bairn]

Will Peter LongHair's Charlton get a spanking tonight??? That IS the question.

Apparently not! However the question is who the <deleted> are you ???

[Spit the Dog]

Being a Falkirk Bairn, I was delighted to see Rangers do us a favour and beat the plastic men of Livingston yesterday. We play Livvy next week in a relegation dog fight. We need to get at least a draw to make sure that they don't close the gap on us.

I thought I was the only Falkirk fan is Thailand!! We should start a Thai supporters club.

If we lose on Saturday relegation looms and Yogi will have to go. Never been a boo boy but listening to last couple of games he has no tactical awareness whatsoever.

I'm not confident about next week at all.

Yep, one of the few around. I used to watch Falkirk regularly in the late 80's early 90's but haven't lived in Scotland for 12 years now.

Had some great memories of our time at Brockville. I went to the new stadium when I was back home last year to watch a couple of games and it was like being at a wake. No wonder we haven't won a game at home all season.

Great result. Boyd has been a great buy. And for Prso to come on as sub and score 2. Things are starting to look better for the season. Though i will be surprised if we can catch Celtic.

I didn't even realise that Rangers had signed Kris Boyd. How much did you sign him for??

[bluebear]

400K but given that we got rid of Steven Thomson for around 250k, 150k net does seem a good deal at the moment.

jockstar - you downloading the torrents for games? This seems to be the best one

http://www.fbtz.com/forum/index.php

Caley away on Sunday - live on Zoccer.

[Jockstar]

400K but given that we got rid of Steven Thomson for around 250k, 150k net does seem a good deal at the moment.

jockstar - you downloading the torrents for games? This seems to be the best one

http://www.fbtz.com/forum/index.php

Caley away on Sunday - live on Zoccer.

Will check it out. Cheers. Do you have to sign up? Free?

[bluebear]

you have to register but its free - lots of live games, highlights and footy shows - mostly english but there is a celtic fan who usually uploads the scottish highlights

FT: Inverness Caley 2 Rangers 3

By Graeme Macpherson at the Caledonian Stadium

RANGERS have beaten Inverness Caley 3-2 to move into third place in the SPL table, Kris Boyd (two) and Marvin Andrews the goal scorers.

The Light Blues made the ideal start, going in front after just six minutes. Chris Burke was the instigator, weaving across the periphery of the Caley penalty box before squeezing a pass through to Thomas Buffel whose first-time cross was converted by Boyd from a matter of yards for his 23rd goal of the season.

Boyd celebratesThat lead would last only six minutes, however, before Caley equalised with their first attack of the game, Dargo latching onto Ross Tokley's hopeful thump towards goal and sliding it beyond Ronald Waterreus.

Rangers threatened again and Bob Malcolm twice came close to landing his first goal of the season, thrashing in a 30-yard drive that Mark Brown saved well before glancing the resultant corner off the far post with the keeper beaten.

Peter Lovenkrands was next to be denied by Brown when he steered the Dane's fierce drive around the post but respite would be brief. Lovenkrands swung over a tempting corner and Andrews dived through a clutch of bodies to bundle the ball past the keeper to put Rangers back in front.

Rangers were first to threaten after the break and Boyd should probably have done better than head straight at Brown from Buffel's cross, with Lovenkrands' follow-up attempt also blocked by the retreating Caley defence.

Boyd would atone for his profligacy shortly after though. Lovenkrands' darting run into the penalty box was illegally halted by substitute Stuart Golabek and the former Kilmarnock striker nonchalantly stroked home his second goal of the game from the penalty spot.

Caley, on the back of an 11-match unbeaten run, dragged themselves back into it when Dennis Wyness headed Barry Wilson's cross-shot beyond Waterreus and then had a penalty shout waved away when the ball seemed to Kris scores againstrike Ian Murray on the arm.

Rangers had chances to further increase their lead in the closing stages but were happy to simply extend their unbeaten run to 10 matches and move above Hibs in the table.

RANGERS: Waterreus; Hutton, Andrews, Kyrgiakos, Murray; Burke (Prso 39), Ricksen, Malcolm, Buffel; Lovenkrands, Boyd (Novo 74)

Subs: Klos, Smith, Carcary, A Rae, G Rae

INVERNESS: Brown; Tokley, Munro, Dods, Hastings(Bayne 86); Wilson, Duncan (Golabek 46), Fox (Hart 71) McBain; Dargo, Wyness

Subs: Fraser, McCaffrey, Proctor, McAllister

Referee: Alan Freeland

[Thai Bairn]

Well looks like McLeish is out of a job - at least they had the decency to keep him on till the end of the season so everyone else has a chance to hump them !

[lamphun]

I understand Graeme Souness is available

[johnh101]

I believe I have every right to gloat about Wednesdays result, but I shall refrain !

I feel sorry for McLeish. Out he goes and the new manager comes in and gets Millions to spend on new players. Why didn't they give the millions to McLeish ?

I am sure he will bopunce back in the Premiership somewhere.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I believe I have every right to gloat about Wednesdays result, but I shall refrain !

I feel sorry for McLeish. Out he goes and the new manager comes in and gets Millions to spend on new players. Why didn't they give the millions to McLeish ?

I am sure he will bopunce back in the Premiership somewhere.

I would also like to mention that, though I could gloat, I shan't. The poor guy never stood a chance. I mean there was so much talk about how Martin O'Neill was the best thing since sliced bread, greatest ever Celtic team, blah, blah, blah. And Mcleish succesful and it was ignored.

If you work out his trophy to money spent ratio I suspect he is probably the most succesful coach they ever had!

Edited February 10, 2006 by Grant

[bluebear]

I would also like to mention that, though I could gloat, I shan't. The poor guy never stood a chance. I mean there was so much talk about how Martin O'Neill was the best thing since sliced bread, greatest ever Celtic team, blah, blah, blah. And Mcleish succesful and it was ignored.

If you work out his trophy to money spent ratio I suspect he is probably the most succesful coach they ever had!

um <deleted> again by a Celtic supporter.. McLeish probably had less money to spend than any other old firm manager in a long time but... compare him against the long ball merchant MoM. 7 trophies each.

in a lot of ways McLeish was a victim of circumstance. he didnt have a lot to spend in the transfer market but ............. Ostendstadt? Emerson? Vanoli? De Boer?

On top of that, he decided to buy players for the positions he wanted instead of what was needed and then adapting. Hmmm left midielder anyone? No. Lets buy a centre forward and play him there. Lets put a centre half there.

lets pretend we dont know why its going wrong!

MURRAY OUT!

MURRAY OUT!

[johnh101]

lets pretend we dont know why its going wrong!

MURRAY OUT!

MURRAY OUT!

Can you explain to the out of touch what you mean ?

[Spit the Dog]

lets pretend we dont know why its going wrong!

MURRAY OUT!

MURRAY OUT!

Can you explain to the out of touch what you mean ?

I must admit like Johnh101, that I'm surprised that Rangers fans are wanting rid of David Murray. I always thought Rangers fans worshiped him as it was Murray's millions that started the ball rolling for one of Rangers most successful periods 20 years ago.

Saying that I'm living in Thailand so I'm kind of out of touch with general gossip about Scottish football.

[bluebear]

err sorry about my last post - was a bit pished!

This season we have constantly had a midfield consisting of ( on average ) one midfielder - Barry Ferguson. The rest have been defenders or forwards put in to make up numbers.

McLeishs record of bringing on young players is terrible, time and time again youngsters are brought in for one or two games and then disappear back into the reserves and are then sold off or released. Who are they replacing in the first team? Olivier Bernard! That pound of mince . Another free loader who has sinend for a retirement package.

Team selection - we havent played the same back four twice this season.

Murray? Dont get me started. This guy, this financial genius, wrote the cheques that put us 52 million quid in debt and then blamed it on the fans, the managers, anyone but him. He has had doubters for many years. He has in reality put in very little mony into rangers over the years but taken huge amounts out.

Who owns the catering company at Ibrox? A Murray company. Who owns the steel company that produced the steel structure that is part of the club deck ( the 3rd tier on the main stand ) A Murray company. And so it goes on

Murrays revolution? Bullshit. Murray didnt start anything.

At the time Souness came, the club was still effectively owned by Lawrence Marlborough ( as in Lawrence homes, remember them?) and the chairman was David Holmes. Murray didnt come in until two and a bit years later in 1988.

The announcement of Ecks departure is a typically badly handled situation. All sorts of shit is coming out now. Whats the point in having a dead man at the helm? Why not get rid of him now? There is nothing that has changed from December to now. Then looking at the official site today McLeish said to Murray in AUGUST that he would leave!!!!! <deleted> IS THAT ABOUT???? The latest is that the nw manager will be announced in March. March?

Murray time and time again says one thing and then does another, he constantly makes announcements then doesnt back them up. In the transfer window we signed one player when Murray said we would buy three. He says the club wont be held to ransom whn buying players any more - a bit ######ign late David. Why did we pay 12 Million for Flo? Why did we pay HUGE wages for De Boers, Emersons.............

HE said there would be an announcement in December that would "rock the football world". Nothing. He said it wold be delayed to January. Nothing. Now he says it will happen after the Champions League game. We wont wait with baited breath.

If you really want to see how Rangers fans think of him look here

http://followfollow.proboards86.com

[Wes Turner]

who the hel_l are Rangers??? :

Edited February 11, 2006 by Wes Turner

[Jockstar]

who the hel_l are Rangers??? :

Glasgow Rangers Wes. From Scotland. The only Scottish team left in tyhe Champions League.

[The Philosopher]

I believe I have every right to gloat about Wednesdays result, but I shall refrain !

I feel sorry for McLeish. Out he goes and the new manager comes in and gets Millions to spend on new players. Why didn't they give the millions to McLeish ?

I am sure he will bopunce back in the Premiership somewhere.

Would you give millions to a teuchter, sheep shagger wie a tumshie for a brain - good riddance

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I would also like to mention that, though I could gloat, I shan't. The poor guy never stood a chance. I mean there was so much talk about how Martin O'Neill was the best thing since sliced bread, greatest ever Celtic team, blah, blah, blah. And Mcleish succesful and it was ignored.

If you work out his trophy to money spent ratio I suspect he is probably the most succesful coach they ever had!

um <deleted> again by a Celtic supporter.. McLeish probably had less money to spend than any other old firm manager in a long time but... compare him against the long ball merchant MoM. 7 trophies each.

in a lot of ways McLeish was a victim of circumstance. he didnt have a lot to spend in the transfer market but ............. Ostendstadt? Emerson? Vanoli? De Boer?

On top of that, he decided to buy players for the positions he wanted instead of what was needed and then adapting. Hmmm left midielder anyone? No. Lets buy a centre forward and play him there. Lets put a centre half there.

lets pretend we dont know why its going wrong!

MURRAY OUT!

MURRAY OUT!

In what way does that make me a Celtic supporter. I was talking about Mcleish! That was the subject of conversation. I was just making the comparision that since O'neill was supposed to be so great how come Mcleish managed to win so much, with such a relatively poor budget.

Actually, I'm an Aberdeen supporter. That's why I'm gloating - the inability of a team with such enviable finances being unable to beat a team that couldn't afford a toaster a few seasons back!

McLeishs record of bringing on young players is terrible, time and time again youngsters are brought in for one or two games and then disappear back into the reserves and are then sold off or released. Who are they replacing in the first team? Olivier Bernard! That pound of mince . Another free loader who has sinend for a retirement package.

And, can you name any Rangers coach who had a youth policy in the last 20 years? What great names played for Scotland, that came up through the Rangers youth system?

Barry Ferguson, a player of such immense talent that he left Rangers to play for Blackburn Rovers - and returned up the M6 with his tail between his legs 18 months later.

[johnh101]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...98597%26fvi%3D1

For sale today on ebay ! ! !

[tasasc]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...98597%26fvi%3D1

For sale today on ebay ! ! !

Thanks for that John, excellent

I particularly liked the question from the Celtic fan asking if he could still play!!

[Jockstar]

Back to winnng ways. A needed result. This from soccernet.com

Rangers snap four-game winless streak

GLASGOW, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Champions Rangers ended their goal drought and four-game winless sequence by beating Hibernian 2-0 in the Scottish Premier League on Saturday.

Rangers leapfrogged Hibs into third place after Kris Boyd bundled home the opener after 40 minutes -- their first goal for 342 minutes -- and skipper Barry Ferguson grabbed a second after 74 minutes.

"I think we played very well today because Hibs are a very dangerous side," said Rangers coach Alex McLeish

"I threw the gauntlet down to the guys who are not playing to work hard, be patient and when the chance comes grab it."

Victory was a big filip for the Glasgow side who take on Spain's Villarreal in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday.

"I know they have already said we have a couple of weak points and that's fair with recent results, but if they watched us in the Champions League games they'd see a different side," added McLeish.

"It is a huge occasion, but we have faced big tasks in the Champions League and we have not been found wanting."

Hearts cut Celtic's lead at the top to 10 points with a comfortable 3-0 home win over Aberdeen. Lithuanian Edgar Jankauskas hit a first half double inside 18 minutes and Calum Elliot added the third in the second half.

Hearts have 54 points from 27 games while Celtic top the standings on 64 from 25 and play Dunfermline on Sunday. Rangers are third with 46 points from 27.

[Jockstar]

This from the Sunday Mail.....

19 February 2006

GERS LOOKING THE PART

Rodriguez and Co help shape team RANGERS 2 HIBS 0

Mark Guidi At Ibrox

RANGERS have had such a diabolical season for plenty of reasons - but one of their biggest problems has been the lack of a dominant central defender.

However, Julien Rodriguez stepped into the side yesterday and brought some much-needed calm, keeping Ibrox hoodoo Ivan Sproule under control.

If the former Monaco defender stays fit Gers have more than a decent chance of getting past Villarreal and making up ground on Hearts for second place.

He was solid while hitkids Alan Hutton and Stevie Smith impressed again at full-back. If only a reliable replacement for Soti Kyrgiakos could be found.

Rangers have had enough kickings this season and deserve praise for their display against the Hibees.

For the first time this season they had several contenders for Man of the Match - Rodriguez, Hutton, Smith, Brahim Hemdani.

But Chris Burke just nicked it. He set up the crunch opener for Kris Boyd before Barry Ferguson killed off Hibs with the second.

However, for long spells it was never a stroll for Alex McLeish's side and Stephen Glass missed a glorious chance in 16 minutes.

Rodriguez was forced into some desperate defending inside his own area after a spell of pressure from Tony Mowbray's men.

But Kyrgiakos couldn't follow his defensive partner's lead and allowed a David Murphy cross to sail over his head right into the path of Glass.

Despite having time to bring it down 10 yards from goal he opted to take it on the volley and the effort was comfortably saved by a relieved Ronald Waterreus.

Rangers had plenty of pressure of their own before Hibs came into the game but didn't show a cutting edge in front of goal.

Easter Road keeper Simon Brown wasn't as busy as he should have been as Thomas Buffel and Boyd missed good chances.

Rodriguez then caught a left-foot shot on the half-volley and it flew inches over.

Kyrgiakos came close to opening the scoring in 33 minutes but his effort from 12 yards sailed past Brown's left-hand post after a goalmouth scramble.

The big Greek came to his side's rescue at the other end 90 seconds later when he cleared a Sproule effort off the line after Kevin Thomson put him through.

The Northern Irishman should have capped his 25th birthday with a goal but it wasn't to be his day after scoring four times on his last two trips to Ibrox.

Sproule said: "I've had my fun here.We knew Rangers would be fighting and they deserved to win."

It was then Burke's turn to deny Hibs when he headed Gary Caldwell's free header off the line.

Gers fans weren't pleased by these two close escapes but the form of Burke had them off their seats for all the right reasons.

And the winger was instrumental as Boyd opened the scoring five minutes from the break.

Burke beat David Murphy easily and picked out Boyd's clever run into the box.

The striker made no mistake and slotted past Brown from eight yards with his right foot. It was the first goal Rangers had scored in 343 minutes.

Boyd was the last player to find the net - a penalty against Inverness on January 29 - and the last time they went so long without scoring was 21 years ago.

It was a major relief to McLeish to snatch a half-time lead.

In their previous two home clashes with Hibs this season Rangers didn't take chances in the first 45 minutes and shipped three goals in a desperate second period. Dado Prso almost doubled their advantage not long after the restart but his 20-yard shot flew wide.

Hibs were never out of the game and Paul Dalglish looked a threat until he was replaced by Steven Fletcher in 57 minutes. Sproule always looked for the ball but was shadowed by Rodriguez and the French defender put in a great show.

Stevie Smith came close to a second when he rampaged forward from the left-back area and ended up 12 yards from goal.

However, he sidefooted his shot high and wide when he should have hit the target. Still, Smith is a fine young player, calm in possession and always willing to join in.

As the game became end to end slightly scrappy, Boyd was denied another goal in 64 minutes when he was set up by Barry Ferguson and his shot was saved by Brown.

But Ibrox skipper Fergie made the game safe 16 minutes from time.

He hovered around the edge of the area and picked up a headed clearance. Ferguson caught the ball with his left foot and his shot made it through a ruck of players.

It was deserved for Gers and for Ferguson.

refwatch

IAIN BRINES looks as though he wants to be centre of attention but he kept things simple here and put in a good display. Rating: 6/10.

MATCH STATS

RANGERS Vs HIBS

SHOTS ON 9 4

SHOTS OFF 16 1

OFFSIDE 3 7

FOULS 7 24

CORNERS 11 6

BOOKINGS 1

[johnh101]

This from soccernet.com

Hearts cut Celtic's lead at the top to 10 points with a comfortable 3-0 home win over Aberdeen.

Strange that........Aberdeen beat Falkirk 1-0 yesterday and the last time we played Hearts we gubbed them ! !