retired_romafo

Rangers vs. Celtic
And so to the first home derby of the season for Rangers. Celtic would surely be out for revenge, having been humiliated 4-0 on their own ground in the previous encounter. With Bardsley departed, Alan Hutton resumed at right-back, whilst Chris Burke and Lee Martin returned on the wings in place of the recently very impressive Thomas Buffel and Charlie Adam, neither of whom made the 18.

Both teams were in magnificent form leading into the match, Rangers with eight straight league wins, and Celtic a superb ten wins in a row. Celtic started brighter, but after the first few minutes Rangers began to exert their influence. However, a host of missed chances was to haunt them four minutes before the break. A bad mistake from Hutton saw the ball laid on a platter for Vennegoor of Hesselink and even Klos could do nothing to prevent Celtic from taking the lead into half-time.

A substitution just before the hour mark provided the hosts with a way back into the game. Prso, on for the disappointing Dagoberto needed just 2 minutes to bring Rangers level. With twenty minutes left the Croatian thought he’d set up a goal, but the linesman’s flag denied Elmander. With fourteen minutes to go Rangers were not to be denied though. Another substitute, Christian Grindheim, sprung the offside trap to send Prso away and this time his pass to Elmander was perfectly timed for the Swede to finish. With eight minutes left though, Celtic earned themselves a point through Neil Lennon who finished from close range following another mistake from Hutton. Hudgson was disappointed but not shattered ‘ They haven’t gained any ground on us today and we were by far the better side, we just couldn’t make the most of our chances. We are still firmly in control of this league.’

Buffel proves manager a liar
Luke Hudgson’s assertion that there would be ‘definitely no departures’ from Rangers during January was proven false today as Belgian international Thomas Buffel departed the club, bound for English Premiership club West Ham. The player netted Rangers ₤4.5 million. Buffel had enjoyed a mixed season impressing strongly in recent weeks after seeing little game time in the first few months of the campaign. When asked why he let Buffel go, Hudgson replied ‘Shades of the Godfather really. They made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. With the money brought in we can probably get two, maybe three players so it’s a good deal for us. Thomas was not first choice so the fee offered was not something we could turn down really. Once we left it up to Thomas, he agreed fairly smartly to move on. Now I get to see what I can come up with over the next few weeks.’

Hudgson did announce one signing, largely unknown Dutch full-back Istvan Bakx from Dutch side Kloetinge for ₤10,000. ‘Istvan is one for the future. He may or may not develop into a first-teamer, but six months acclimatising will give us a glimpse of his talent next season.’

retired_romafo

Rangers 7 vs. Arbroath 0 – Scottish FA Cup 3rd Round
Bakx was handed an earlier than expected debut as Rangers entertained the 3rd division side, as Hudgson rang the changes from the Celtic match. The home side took the lead on nine minutes, a goalmouth scramble eventually leading to Sionko firing the ball into the far corner. Diego Tristan doubled the lead on twenty minutes, finishing well from Prso’s cross for his tenth of the season. Sionko got a second five minutes from the break, heading in from Adam’s corner to send Rangers into half-time 3-0 in front.

Kris Boyd got a goal ten minutes into the second half, found with a marvellous pass from Grindheim. The Norwegian got himself on the scoresheet three minutes later, giving the keeper no chance with a curling free-kick into the to corner. Sionko completed a hat-trick on 66 minutes, putting the ball away after fine lead up play from Alan Hutton. Dado Prso got the seventh, oddly enough with seven minutes left to complete the rout and Rangers’ biggest win under Hudgson.

Barthez requests Ranger leave
Legendary French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez had his transfer request accepted by Rangers today. The 34 year-old, who surprised many by signing for the Ibrox club 6 months ago, cited a lack of first team football as the reason behind his request. Manager Luke Hudgson, in accepting the request said he sympathised with the player It’s been hard for Fabien. He started very well, but then picked up an injury. That coincided with Stefan Klos returning and he’s been so good Fabien has found himself on the bench. At this stage in his career he want to play, which is fair enough, and we get a bit more money to spend.’

Hudgson also revealed he was in negotiations to sign young Fulham full-back Liam Rosenior on loan until the end of the season, as well as pursuing an interest in Blackburn Rovers duo Lucas Neill and Morten Gamst Pedersen ‘We’ve had an offer accepted by Fulham but Liam has a few on the table so we’re hopeful he’ll choose us. As for the Blackburn players, that may be something that has to wait until the summer, although in Neill’s case it’s probably now or never. Morten has indicated he’d like to come, but I don’t know if we can afford what Blackburn are asking.’

retired_romafo

Motherwell 2 vs. Rangers 3
The morning of the match saw the announcement of Barthez’ departure as he rejoined former club Marseille for ₤1.2 million. As for the current crop, most of the big guns returned after being left out of the cup match. However, both Sionko and Grindheim did enough to keep out Burke and Flamini respectively.

Prso it was who gave Rangers the lead on twenty-five minutes, getting on the end of Elmander’s knock down and finishing with aplomb. That was the major action of a poor first half, as Rangers coasted into the break untroubled in defence, leading 1-0.

A lethargic Rangers were eventually punished on 68 minutes when Ross McCormack equalised for Motherwell. The goal seemed to spark the visitors back to life though, and with fifteen minutes remaining substitute Dagoberto saw them regain the lead with a fine effort into the far corner. Slack defending with six minutes left saw the lead lost for a second time, as Shaun Fagan found the net for the home side. With two minutes left, the captain saved Rangers’ blushes, Barry Ferguson getting what proved to be the winner. Post-match saw Hudgson breathing a sigh of relief ‘Barry’s got us out of jail there. I thought we’d thrown it away not once but twice. Coupled with the Celtic result (Hibs won 1-0 at Parkhead) it’s turned into a great day for us. 12 points ahead, we can only throw it away now.’

Hudgson secures controversial loan signing
In a move sure to raise eyebrows, Rangers have signed Bulgarian international and former Celtic favourite Stilian Petrov on loan from English Premiership side Aston Villa until the end of the season. There was no press discussion to announce the move, merely a club statement. This is perhaps an indicator of the club recognising the controversy surrounding the move.

Another Brazilian signs on at Ibrox
Luke Hudgson unveiled his second samba signing since arriving at Rangers, full-back Cicinho. The player has joined from Spanish giants Real Madrid for ₤2.9 million on a three-year contract. The manager was ecstatic to secure a player of such high pedigree ‘Cicinho is a marvellous player. He’s one of the best full-backs in the world going forward and it’s a real coup for Rangers to secure him. I don’t know if Rangers would be top of his clubs of choice list but being frozen out at Madrid certainly benefited us. he’ll take a few games to get match fit but I’m confident he’ll be a great signing for us. that’s probably it for us now this window. Stilian will replace Buffel whilst Cicinho is in for Bardsley. Young Allan McGregor will cover Stefan so I think we’re set. Possibly a centre-half, maybe on loan with Vermaelen getting injured yesterday and missing for about a month.’

Speaking through an interpreter, the player seemed positive ‘I am proud to be at Rangers. This club has won many titles and I hope to help it win more. I spoke to Dagoberto before moving and he said the manager, players and fans are superb and I should come. He said to enjoy the sun in Spain before I left though as there is not much here!’

Rangers 3 vs. Kilmarnock 0
Lacking match fitness, Petrov had to be content with a place on the bench, but Cicinho went straight into the line-up despite the same problem. The runaway league leaders went in front on twenty minutes, Dagoberto’s perfectly weighted pass played Sionko in and the Czech continued his recent good form with his ninth goal of the season.

A blow for Rangers on 24 minutes, as Flamini limped off to be replaced by Adam. A blow for Killie came when Gordon Greer was sent off just after the half hour for a professional foul on Elmander. Rangers were unable to make the extra man count in the first half and went to the break ahead by Sionko’s goal. A second goal for Rangers came on 66 minutes when Elmander nodded in Martin’s cross. That was the cue for a tiring Cicinho to exit, to a rousing ovation from the Ibrox faithful. Dagoberto got himself on the scoresheet with 13 minutes left, also with his head form a Martin cross.

3-0 it finished on another satisfying afternoon for Hudgson ‘Johan and Berto are playing really well together at the moment. Their movement is a joy to watch. Cicinho did well, you could see the lack of matches catching up with him in the second half. Mathieu has picked up a groin problem unfortunately and will miss at least a fortnight. He and Barry have been great fixtures for us this season. However, Christian Grindheim is a marvellous player and I’ve no doubt he’ll do very well.’

Rangers 4 vs. Dundee Utd 0
Grindheim was to have replaced the injured Flamini in the Gers line-up. However, the Norwegian managed to get injured on international duty which meant Stilian Petrov came into the side to make his debut. Ian Murray also came in, in the unfamiliar position of centre-back after Julien Rodriguez joined Vermaelen on the sidelines.

A good start for the home side as they went ahead after nine minutes, Sionko converting from the spot after Dagoberto was felled. The Brazilian scored himself after 21 minutes to double the advantage, set up by his front partner Elmander. A comfortable 20 minutes followed as Rangers took a 2-0 lead into half-time.

Dagoberto’s second goal came eight minutes after the break as he headed in Sionko’s free-kick. Johan Elmander completed the scoring in injury time, heading in the impressive Steven Smith’s cross to complete a 4-0 romp. ‘That was great performance today, one of our best for the season. Stilian did well for his debut and Cicinho will only get better and better. We’ve got the cup on Tuesday and hopefully we can secure a final for the fans.’

Raptor

Shame it's "them" you're writing about But a decent start nonetheless :thup:

retired_jodiejo19

I like this a lot - A really enjoyable read, please keep it up

runronnirun

Enjoyed reading this so far. I'm in the middle of a Rangers save of my own so it's interesting to compare :thup:

retired_romafo

Dundee Utd 5 vs. Rangers 1 – CIS Cup S/F
Disaster for Rangers just four minutes in when Svensson conceded a penalty by pulling down Brewster when clean through. A double blow was the subsequent red card for the Swede, further depleting the centre-half stocks. A less than fully fit Rodriguez had to be summoned from the bench, with Elmander sacrificed. Brewster himself converted the penalty. Dundee Utd doubled the lead on twenty minutes, McCracken getting on the end of a free-kick to beat Klos.

Rangers put themselves back in the contest three minutes later when Sionko scored after Petrov’s shot was saved. However, on the half-hour United re-established a two goal lead, Montecinos curling in a marvellous free-kick. Dundee United took that 3-1 lead into the break.

The game was finished two minutes after the break when Ian Murray dithered in possession, and the passage of play that followed resulted in Barry Callaghan scoring to make it 4-1. The humiliation was completed with ten minutes left as Brewster got a second, sending Rangers out of the cup and condemning them to their first defeat with Hudgson in charge. The manager seemed unconcerned with that fact, more ropable with the display of his players ‘That was completely unacceptable and embarrassing today. I apologise to our fans. No-one played well. Stefan Klos picked a good day to have his worst game of the season, when we were likely to be under pressure. He didn’t save anything. Karl Svensson bears a lot of blame as well. We are already short at centre-half, and him getting sent off exacerbates the problem. Julien did his best, but was not fit enough for eighty-five minutes. All in all, a disastrous day for us. We now focus on the Scottish Cup on Saturday and hopefully a vast improvement.’

Gretna 2 vs. Rangers 2 – Scottish Cup 4th Round
Some good news came with the news that Svensson’s ban was overturned on appeal, so he partnered Rodriguez in central defence. 4 other changes were made to the starting XI after the disastrous showing at Hampden in midweek.

Rangers started like a team with their confidence dented, and too around twenty minutes to relax. The signs of this were evident on 23 minutes when they took the lead. Petrov got his first goal for the club, finishing well at the near post from Sionko’s low cross. Five minutes later it was two. Elmander was the scorer, well supplied by Diego Tristan. Two horrible defensive mistakes gifted Gretna the chances to level before half-time. On both occasions, Peter MacDonald was the beneficiary. First Barry Ferguson underhit a backpass straight into his path, leaving Klos with no chance. Then Klos himself made big error, coming out to grab a throw and completely missing it, allowing the home side to go into the break on level terms.

Rangers continued to struggle through the second half and were unable to find a winning goal. The closest they came was Prso having a header disallowed late on for offside. They now suffer the indignity of a replay at Ibrox net week. A challenging time for Hudgson, as the team goes through its first slump during his reign. Said the boss ‘Credit to Gretna they worked very hard today, but we were absolutely diabolical again. Barry Ferguson is playing the worst football I have ever seen but because of injuries I have to keep picking him. We desperately need to strengthen in the summer. I hope the chairman makes funds available. We simply must win next weekend, we need the boost with Europe coming up after this replay.’

Rangers 8 vs. Gretna 1 – Scottish Cup 4th Round Replay
A welcome sight for Gers fans was the return of Mathieu Flamini on the substitutes bench for this clash. The Frenchman had missed three weeks with a groin problem. Nerves were calmed 90 seconds in when Gary McKenzie put through his own net to give Rangers the lead. It was 2-0 after five minutes when Sionko powered in a shot from Dagoberto’s driven low cross. The Brazilian made it 3-0 on the quarter hour, finishing well after a fine run. An incredible first 20 mins was capped when Charlie Adam converted from the spot after Innes felled Dagoberto.

A second own goal put Rangers five in front ten minutes from the break. Then Johan Elmander popped up with a three minute double to send Ranger fans and manager into dreamland as they went to half time an incredible 7-0 in front.

Not surprisingly, the second half failed to match the first in terms of excitement, the only addition to the score coming three minutes from time when Lee Martin pounced on slack defending to score. Hudgson was suitably pleased to get back on track ‘Gretna were not interested today so you can’t read a lot into the scoreline. They’d accomplished their goal simply in getting a replay. What is important from today is the boost in confidence it has given the lads. We can look forward to Europe with renewed hope now.’

The day was made sweeter by Celtic’s 4-1 defeat by Aberdeen in the league, meaning Rangers maintain a 12 point lead but with a game in hand over their rivals now.

Club Brugge 0 vs. Rangers 1 – UEFA Cup 1st Knockout Round 1st Leg
A magnificent rearguard action provided Rangers with a vital win in their quest to make the last 16. A Charlie Adam penalty in the first minute gave Rangers a precious away goal and they were able to maintain that lead for the rest of the game.

Brugge can consider themselves unlucky, as in the second half especially they were largely dominant, but just lacked that little bit of luck needed to find a goal. The Rangers defence was superbly marshalled by Julien Rodriguez, who turned in his finest performance of the season. Hudgson was obviously pleased to get the win. ‘The penalty was a dream start for us, but I felt we sat back a bit too much during the second half particularly. We were lucky that they didn’t punish us for it. However, we’ve got a lead and that will allow us to play in a more relaxed fashion in the 2nd leg. They have to come at us. Julien was magnificent tonight. He’s been marvellous all season, never complaining about not being selected. Thomas’ (Vermaelen) injury has given him a chance and he’s done very well for himself and the club.’

retired_romafo

Rangers 2 vs. Dunfermline 1
Chris Burke returned to the starting line-up for the first time in over a month, as Sionko got a well-earned rest. Thursday’s hero Charlie Adam was also left out, as Martin was preferred on the left wing and Flamini in the centre.

A dominating performance from Rangers followed, but they were left mopping their brows with relief after scraping a 2-1 win that failed to reflect their superiority. In fact, the home side went behind after just two minutes when Jim Hamilton beat Klos a little too easily at the near post. The remaining 43 minutes of the first half saw Rangers absolutely batter the visiting side but the heroics of de Vries in goal saw Dunfermline keep their lead at half time.

The equaliser came five minutes after the break when Dado Prso found space at the back post to nod home. More relentless pressure ensued and the winner eventually came with eighteen minutes left. Prso again, this time combining with sub Diego Tristan to score his 11th of the season. Hudgson hypothesised that Europe was playing on the team’s mind ‘We looked nervous today, and maybe Europe has something to do with that. However, we kept persevering and eventually got our reward. Dado continues to be a marvellous player for this club, his goals this season have been invaluable.’

Rangers (1) 4 vs. Club Brugge (0) 1 – UEFA Cup 1st Knockout Round 2nd Leg – Rangers win 5-1 on aggregate
Barry Ferguson was suspended for the second leg of this tie, meaning Petrov partnered Flamini in central midfield due to Grindheim’s ineligibility.

A confident and efficient performance ensured the Scottish side’s place in the last 16. Things started well when in the third minute Flamini headed in Petrov’s corner for the first of the night. The home side doubled their lead on 18 minutes when the defence failed to cut out Klos’ long kick which fell for Prso to round the keeper and score. The third goal came just past the half hour, when Dagoberto fizzed a cross to the far post for Lee Martin to head home from two yards out.

Brugge gave themselves some hope of a comeback in first half injury time when Denis Oliech scored from close range. That hope was snuffed out ten minutes after the break when Steven Smith curled in a superb free-kick from 30 yards to make it 4-1 on the night, 5-1 on aggregate. The last thirty minutes was a non event, as both sides knew the tie was over. Rangers march on, and will play Greek side Olympiakos in the next round. ‘The early goals really settled us down tonight and allowed us to play the way we wanted to. The last 16 was the requirement I had set us in my mind, so anything now I see as a bonus for us. now we go and try and sew up this league title as soon as we can’

Tristan wants out
Diego Tristan had his transfer request accepted by Rangers boss Luke Hudgson this morning. The Spaniard cited a desire for greater first team action as the reason behind his decision. Hudgson accepted the request without hesitation, saying he had grown tired of Tristan’s antics ‘This is the second time Diego has complained to the press and I will not tolerate nay more of it. He is free to leave as soon as we get a suitable offer for him. We are well covered up front with Elmander, Dagoberto, Prso, Boyd and young Filip Sebo who hasn’t featured at al this season’

Inverness CT 0 vs. Rangers 1
Rangers travelled to sixth placed Thistle, attempting to maintain their superb league run. They did so, barely, needing an injury time winner from Elmander to overcome a spirited Inverness side. The win, coupled with Celtic’s draw at Hearts sees Rangers 11 points clear with two games in hand.

retired_romafo

Rangers 2 vs. Dunfermline 0 – Scottish Cup Q/F
Fixture congestion saw this match scheduled in a international midweek depriving Rangers of Steven Smith, Adam, Flamini, Burke, Murray, Sionko and Ferguson. Young Lewis Stevenson came in at left-back as a result, whilst Prso was forced to play on the right wing.

The absentees had little effect on the result as Rangers cruised through to the semi-final where they will play Airdrie, who earlier in the competition knocked out Celtic. The win was secured by a double from Johan Elmander. The first goal came on fifteen minutes, as the Swede headed in from Petrov’s free-kick. The second, on 24 minutes came from good lead-up play from Dado Prso. The striker, who put in a good shift in the unfamiliar position out wide played a lovely through ball that Elmander ran away with to beat the keeper. Hudgson was pleased with the performance in less than ideal circumstances ‘It was poor scheduling from the FA but fortunately we’ve shown great spirit and determination to get through. We’ve got a good chance in the competition and we want to make the most of it.’

Rangers 2 vs. St. Mirren 1
Cellar dwellers St. Mirren visited Ibrox and proved to be a tricky test for the runaway leaders, as they hung on for a 2-1 win. First half goals from Dagoberto and Sionko were enough to hold off the fast finishing visitors. Simon Lappin scored a wonderful goal for the visitors to give them hope of salvaging a point, but it was not to be. The scrappy win was made more important by Celtic being held at home by Falkirk, moving the title ever closer for Rangers. Said Hudgson ‘We’re getting closer, and you can see the players are aware of that. The fluency has not been there in our last few league matches. We’ll need to find it on Thursday though, as Olympiakos will be a very tough opponent.’

Rangers 0 vs. Olympiakos 0 – UEFA Cup 2nd Knockout Round 1st Leg
Rangers have a lot or work to do if they are to make the last eight after being held at home by Olympiakos. The Greeks were second best for most of the match but Rangers couldn’t convert their superiority into goals as they failed to score for the first time under Hudgson’s reign. The best chances fell to the strikers, with Elmander and Dagoberto guilty of missing some golden opportunities

The manager was a frustrated man post-match ‘We could, and should have put this to bed tonight. With the amount of chances squandered I was having visions of them having one attack and pinching a win. Thankfully that didn’t happen. A goal for us early on there changes the whole tie, so we’re still in with a good chance.’

retired_romafo

Hearts 1 vs. Rangers 3
Celtic’s defeat the previous day at home to Kilmarnock meant Rangers could go 14 points clear with two games in hand, something they were extremely keen to achieve. They duly did so, recording a comfortable win.

An even first half unfolded, but the game turned when the visitors broke through with one minute left. Takis Fyssas brought down Dagoberto in the box and was sent off. The Brazilian picked himself up to score the penalty, his 20th goal of the season. Lee Martin scored Rangers’ second and his fifth of the season on the hour, nodding in Smith’s corner. Karypidis gave the ten men hope with a wonderful run and shot to bring it back to 2-1. Dagoberto put the game away with five minutes remaining with his second goal, getting on the end of a Lee Martin pass. The young winger had a superb game, with a hand in all three goals. ‘Lee is going to be, and already is to a degree a fabulous player. We’ve no chance of keeping him here, as he’ll definitely be involved in the first team at Manchester United.’ said manager Hudgson, speaking post-match.

Olympiakos (0) 1 vs. Rangers (0) 3 – UEFA Cup 2nd Knockout Round 2nd Leg – Rangers win 3-1 on aggregate
The biggest game of the season saw Rangers travel to Greece with the European dreams hanging in the balance. They produced a performance befitting the stakes, securing a memorable win and a place in the quarter-finals.

The evening started badly for Rangers, with Konstantinou putting the home side in front on fifteen minutes. The next few minutes saw Rangers absorb sustained pressure, Klos magnificent in denying the home side. On 32 minutes Rangers equalised. Rodriguez’ header from a corner was spilled by the keeper and hit the unfortunate Ronald Gomez for an own goal. That lifted Rangers, and they finished the half the stronger.

A managerial masterstroke was to prove crucial. Prso was replaced by Elmander at half-time and two goals in eight minutes from the Swede settled the tie. Played in on both occasions by Dagoberto, the striker showed ice-cool nerves to beat the keeper and secure a famous win for Rangers. The boss was proud of his players ‘They’ve done the club proud tonight. I wasn’t sure we could do it but we showed great character to hag in after they scored and we deserve our win.’

Rangers will play German side Leverkusen in the quarter-finals

Rangers 2 vs. Falkirk 1
After the high of Thursday a let-down was probably inevitable, and this proved to be true. The home side needed an injury time winner from Dado Prso to pick up full points and continue towards what is now surely inevitable title success. 16 points clear of Celtic with two games in hand, the league is all but won.

Things started slowly for the home side and as a result it was slightly surprising when Kris Boyd gave them the lead on 19 minutes. Makela equalised for Falkirk on 30 minutes via a wonderful counter-attack and the game meandered a bit from then on.

It came to life in the last quarter of an hour as Rangers searched for a winner. It finally arrived, courtesy of a Falkirk error. The defender dithered too long on the ball and was dispossessed by Prso who ran away to calmly beat the keeper to secure the win. Another vital goal from the Croatian, as many of his strikes this season have been.

Aberdeen 1 vs. Rangers 3
2 games in 3 days saw the pack shuffled, as Cicinho, Svensson, Flamini, Ferguson, Burke, Martin & Prso came into the XI. The changes worked as another day went by with another league victory for the leaders.

Prso was again to the fore, opening the scoring after 35 seconds with a brilliant long range effort into the top corner. Aberdeen were giving as good as they got in the early stages and it was no surprise that they drew level through Steve Lovell on 15 minutes. The game continued to ebb and flow until Rangers finally went back in front with five minutes to go. Prso grabbed a double, nodding in at the far post from Martin’s fine ball.

The Croatian completed the scoring, securing his hat-trick in injury time after Sionko’s shot was deflected into his path. Hudgson was effusive in his praise of the veteran forward ‘Dado is such a valuable player for us to have. He is the consummate professional, just getting on with his job and getting us vital goals when we need them. He can be proud of his season.’