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'We are raring to go': Rothwell excited for Rangers' Premiership opener

'We are raring to go': Rothwell excited for Rangers' Premiership opener

STV News13 hours ago
Joe Rothwell insists Rangers are 'raring to go' ahead of their Premiership opener against Motherwell at Fir Park on Saturday.
The Light Blues progressed to the Champions League third qualifying round against Viktoria Plzen after a 3-1 aggregate win over Panathinaikos in Athens on Wednesday night.
Midfielder Rothwell, who joined the club in the summer from Bournemouth, having spent last season on loan at Leeds, is confident Russell Martin's squad have recovered for the start of their league campaign.
The 30-year-old said: 'Getting the result we wanted obviously helps and we have had a couple of days to recover now, and we are raring to go.
'It is a bit strange playing European games before the league season has even started, but it has been good.
'It gives us a chance to go out there and put the things we have been working on into practice.
'It becomes real because obviously those are games you need to win and thankfully we managed to do that over the two legs, but now our focus is fully on tomorrow.
'We know as players it is going to be massive and obviously getting off to a winning start is what we want to do.
'It is going to be a fast and erratic start to the games, and it is down to us to take control and build some momentum as quickly as we can.
'Everyone is going to want to beat us, so we want to go out there and put on a real show, but ultimately it is a result-based business, and we are going there to win the game.'
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Too much ego, too much self-preservation – Russell Martin fumes at Rangers draw
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Rangers held to draw at Motherwell after late Emmanuel Longelo leveller
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Gers skipper James Tavernier headed in from a corner in the 14th minute but Russell Martin's side never really found any rhythm. The Light Blues survived Well pressure for large spells of the second half but only until the 87th minute when Emmanuel Longelo drove in the equaliser. Rangers reached the Champions League third qualifying round by completing a 3-1 aggregate win over Panathinaikos in Athens on Wednesday but carried a fair bit of luck over the two games. And after this unimpressive display in Lanarkshire, there is clearly and understandably still work to do for Martin's side, as they try to implement his possession-based philosophy. Motherwell's new boss Jens Berthel Askou, a former team-mate of Martin at Norwich taking charge of his first league game, will be pleased by the way his side kept going when it looked like it would not be their day. Rangers could quickly fall behind champions and Old Firm rivals Celtic, who host St Mirren on Sunday, following a game that took time to warm up. In the fourth minute Well keeper Calum Ward palmed a 25-yard free-kick from Tavernier around a post and Kieran Dowell headed Joe Rothwell's corner over the crossbar. Rangers were getting their aim in. Attacker Djeidi Gassama – who started in place of Findlay Curtis in the only change – curled a shot wide after taking a pass from Brazilian striker Danilo, who then clipped the bar with a shot from 25 yards. However, it seemed all to easy for Tavernier to head in a Rothwell delivery to the back post for his 131st Gers goal, after Well skipper Paul McGinn had shanked a clearance to concede a corner. While dangerous in attack, the visitors looked fragile in defence at times – this could be a feature of their play this season – and in the 24th minute keeper Jack Butland fumbled an effort from an unmarked Longelo then blocked the shot on the rebound from striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos. Both sides were intent on playing out from the back and there were numerous turnovers but little in the way of goalmouth action, until Ward made a save from Gassama's header two minutes after the interval. Minutes later, Callum Slattery's whipped-in free-kick, after he had been fouled by Tavernier, found Elijah Just at the back post but he could not control his header and the ball went off target. Motherwell grew in confidence and Butland made a diving save from McGinn's low drive after the defender had burst into the Gers box, with John Souttar completing the clearance. Lyall Cameron and Cyriel Dessers replaced Mohamed Diomande and Danilo and debutant Cameron got booked immediately for a foul on Lukas Fadinger before he tested Ward with a 25-yard drive. At the other end, Stamatelopoulos headed over from just under the bar from a tantalising cross from Just. However, with three minutes remaining Longelo burst too easily into the Gers box and when the ball was repelled, Johnny Koutroumbis returned it into the area, Just chested it back and Longelo drilled it low past Butland for a well-deserved equaliser. And only a fine save from the Ibrox keeper in added time from substitute Tom Sparrow prevented a defeat.

Rangers held to draw at Motherwell after late Emmanuel Longelo leveller
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Gers skipper James Tavernier headed in from a corner in the 14th minute but Russell Martin's side never really found any rhythm. The Light Blues survived Well pressure for large spells of the second half but only until the 87th minute when Emmanuel Longelo drove in the equaliser. Rangers reached the Champions League third qualifying round by completing a 3-1 aggregate win over Panathinaikos in Athens on Wednesday but carried a fair bit of luck over the two games. And after this unimpressive display in Lanarkshire, there is clearly and understandably still work to do for Martin's side, as they try to implement his possession-based philosophy. Motherwell's new boss Jens Berthel Askou, a former team-mate of Martin at Norwich taking charge of his first league game, will be pleased by the way his side kept going when it looked like it would not be their day. Rangers could quickly fall behind champions and Old Firm rivals Celtic, who host St Mirren on Sunday, following a game that took time to warm up. In the fourth minute Well keeper Calum Ward palmed a 25-yard free-kick from Tavernier around a post and Kieran Dowell headed Joe Rothwell's corner over the crossbar. Rangers were getting their aim in. Attacker Djeidi Gassama – who started in place of Findlay Curtis in the only change – curled a shot wide after taking a pass from Brazilian striker Danilo, who then clipped the bar with a shot from 25 yards. However, it seemed all to easy for Tavernier to head in a Rothwell delivery to the back post for his 131st Gers goal, after Well skipper Paul McGinn had shanked a clearance to concede a corner. While dangerous in attack, the visitors looked fragile in defence at times – this could be a feature of their play this season – and in the 24th minute keeper Jack Butland fumbled an effort from an unmarked Longelo then blocked the shot on the rebound from striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos. Both sides were intent on playing out from the back and there were numerous turnovers but little in the way of goalmouth action, until Ward made a save from Gassama's header two minutes after the interval. Minutes later, Callum Slattery's whipped-in free-kick, after he had been fouled by Tavernier, found Elijah Just at the back post but he could not control his header and the ball went off target. Motherwell grew in confidence and Butland made a diving save from McGinn's low drive after the defender had burst into the Gers box, with John Souttar completing the clearance. Lyall Cameron and Cyriel Dessers replaced Mohamed Diomande and Danilo and debutant Cameron got booked immediately for a foul on Lukas Fadinger before he tested Ward with a 25-yard drive. At the other end, Stamatelopoulos headed over from just under the bar from a tantalising cross from Just. However, with three minutes remaining Longelo burst too easily into the Gers box and when the ball was repelled, Johnny Koutroumbis returned it into the area, Just chested it back and Longelo drilled it low past Butland for a well-deserved equaliser. And only a fine save from the Ibrox keeper in added time from substitute Tom Sparrow prevented a defeat.

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