Latest news with #Durrant
STV News
4 hours ago
- Sport
- STV News
Durrant: Rangers will need to ride their luck in the Athens heat
Ian Durrant says Rangers will need to ride their luck and deal with inhospitable conditions in Athens to keep their Champions League dream alive. The Ibrox side are taking a 2-0 lead to Greece, where they will face Panathinaikos in the second leg of the qualifying game on Wednesday. Former Gers midfielder Durrant believes Russell Martin won't change his tactics too much, with the emphasis on attacking their opponents, but with a bit of caution when needed. He said: 'You need a bit of luck, obviously, the conditions will be the same for both teams, but it will be hot so you'll need a bit of luck on your side. 'They've got a clean sheet and a two-goal advantage, so the manager will go there full of optimism, but it will be down to the players and what he sets them out to do. 'It will be hard, you are never going to be playing any mugs in the Champions League qualifiers, so you just have to get your job done and get on with it. 'The second half from last week will give the team a bit of belief. They rode their luck a little bit, and Jack Butland was called upon a few times, but they steadied the ship and scored two fantastic goals to take a two-goal lead over there. 'The manager's emphasis is on expansive, attacking football, and I think we'll see that. 'There will be a bit of caution, of course, you can't just go gung-ho; we saw last week that Panathinaikos opened Rangers up a few times, so they will have to rely on the defenders being defenders, then when you have the ball, you have to make good use of it.' Durrant insists the finances involved in the continent's top competition make it a priority for Rangers as they look to qualify for the first time since 2022. He said: 'Financially, it could be a big boost for the club. The manager will also want to do what he can in the Champions League, but financially, it would be huge, and if they get through, it will help to get better players in.' If they get past Panathinaikos, then Rangers will play either Viktoria Plzeň or Servette in the next qualifying round before a potential play-off. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Rangers told to handle Athens heat and avoid Euro fate of Class of '94
But the Hall of Fame member can still recall how AEK Athens eased to a comfortable 2-0 victory against Walter Smith's team in a qualifying match in the Nikos Goumas Stadium back in 1994 and then edged to a 1-0 triumph away a fortnight later. That devastating and financially costly 3-0 aggregate reverse was suffered just months after Rangers had come within a whisker of reaching the final of Europe's elite club competition after going undefeated in all 10 of their matches. Read more: Durrant is confident that James Tavernier and his team mates will be able to handle the stifling heat in Greece next week – but feels the captain and other experienced members of the team will need to show they are unfazed by the hostile atmosphere in the Olympic Stadium. 'The manager will find out a lot about his players, about how they can handle that environment, that arena,' he said. 'Not just the heat, but the massive crowd. It'll be volatile. 'How will they handle it? He'll find a lot about these players, especially if he goes with the young ones again and plays them. We'll be finding out things in every game. But in that sort of environment, I think you'll find out a lot more. (Image: Promotional) 'We had a good, experienced team in the 1992/93 season. It should have been, could have been. Marseille were a phenomenal team, but we went toe to toe with them. It just shows you. But, again, eventually we fell at the last hurdle. 'I think when you go through that team, the experience we had against some really good sides, but in terms of the Marseille team, they were a phenomenal team. But you go toe to toe with them, it just shows you. 'But your Butlands, Taverniers, even your Rothwells, who's played at a great level, Raskins, and whoever plays up front, the spine of your team, they'll be called upon. They'll need to get regrouping, make sure everybody can handle it. Read more: 'Panathinaikos will be at Rangers from the first minute because they'll want to make it a game where they feel uncomfortable. It's how you handle it and how you react to things like that.' Looking back on his outing to Athens back in 1994, Durrant added, 'We shot ourselves in the foot with the goal we gave away. The gaffer was trying to get new players in at that time and it never clicked so early. Athens were better than us, simple as. Over the two legs, they were far better than us. 'It was very warm, but we'd done a pre-season. We used to do a pre-season in Italy. We sort of acclimatised to it. On the night, it doesn't really matter about the heat because you can get as much water in as you can. You've just got to make sure you perform over two legs. Against AEK we were nowhere near it.' Light Blues legend Ian Durrant was speaking as he promoted RYDC's Big Blue Jackpot, a new Rangers Lotto prize for supporters who can win guaranteed end-of-month jackpots of at least £12,000 and £15,000 from August. Full details at
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
What Russell Martin will learn from Rangers side in heat of Athens as Ibrox legend asks 'can they handle it'?
New Ibrox boss got off to a flier against Panathinaikos in Govan but with the tie still far from over ahead of the return Ian Durrant reckons Wednesday's Champions League pressure pot in Athens will be the acid test of whether Russell Martin's Rangers side have the minerals to play at the top level. The Ibrox side head to Greece with a 2-0 first leg cushion against Panathinaikos after the new boss opened his account in the best possible fashion. But Durrant believes an even tougher evening lies in store in the Athens Olympic Stadium where the home side will be fired-up by a hostile crowd and with overhead temperatures set to sizzle into the 30s. Martin handed competitive debuts to Joe Rothwell, Nasser Djiga, Max Aarons and goalscoring sub Djeidi Gassama in the first leg while Thelo Aasgaard could be added to the squad for the return. And Durrant reckons 90 minutes under the microscope in the red hot atmosphere of Panathinaikos' temporary ground will tell the manager everything he needs to know about the mentality of his new-look team as they look to keep their £40m Champions League dream alive. The 9-in-a-row hero was part of a Gers side that slumped 2-0 to AEK in the Greek capital 31 years ago. And he said: 'You'll find out a lot. How they can handle that environment, that arena. 'Not just the heat, but the massive crowd. It'll be volatile. That's what you're in these games for. 'How you handle it. You'll find a lot of these players, especially if he goes with the young ones again and plays them. Every game we'll be finding out things. 'But in that sort of environment, I think you'll find out a lot more. Can they handle it? 'Your Butlands, Taverniers, even your Rothwells, who's played at a great level, Raskin, and whoever plays up front, the spine of your team, they'll be called upon. 'They'll need to get regrouping, make sure everybody can handle it. "Panathinaikos will be at Rangers from the first minute because they'll want to make it a game where they feel uncomfortable. It's how you handle it and how you react to things like that.' Durrant remembers Rangers 1994 Greek tragedy all too well. Walter Smith's side crashed out of the Champions League in qualifying after losing the second leg to AEK 1-0 at Ibrox back in 1994. That was despite big money having been spent to bring in Basile Boli and Brian Laudrup among other summer recruits. Rangers regrouped to go and win the title. But falling at the first hurdle in Europe never came with a safety net of the Europa League qualifiers and saw Smith's side come in for heavy criticism. Durrant, who made 346 appearances for Rangers, reckons the games arriving so early in the season add to the heat on Scottish sides. But he insists there will be no excuses should Rangers fail to advance to a third qualifying round clash against either Servette or Viktoria Plzn - especially over the temperature. He said: 'We shot ourselves in the foot with the goals we gave away back in 1994. 'Again, the gaffer was trying to get new players in at that time and it never clicked so early. "Athens were better than us, simple as. Over the two legs, they were far better than us. 'Yeah, it was very warm over there, but again we'd done a pre-season. We used to do a pre-season in Italy. We sort of acclimatised to it. 'On the night, it doesn't really matter about the heat because you can get as much water in as you can. You've just got to make sure you perform against over two legs. And against AEK we were nowhere near it.' Meanwhile, Durrant bumped into legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson at Tuesday's first leg against Panathinaikos - and reckons the legendary Manchester United boss will have imparted some gold dust wisdom on Martin. He said: 'I saw him, he was looking great. 'He's given the new manager a glowing response. He thinks he'll do really well, so if you're getting something off Sir Alex, he must be well thought of! 'If the manager can go and bounce things off him, there's nobody better to listen to and learn from than Sir Alex. 'I just think his presence about the club, everywhere he goes, not just here but anywhere, you just want to be a sponge and try to absorb as much as you can from him.'
The National
3 days ago
- Sport
- The National
Sir Alex Ferguson endorsement has boosted Rangers' title credentials
Even Ian Durrant, the Rangers great who would dearly like to see his beloved Ibrox club prevail in the William Hill Premiership for the first time since 2021 this season, would welcome a more evenly balanced top flight in the coming 10 months. 'For years now, [[Celtic]] have obviously been dominant,' he said as he looked ahead to the start of the 2024/25 campaign next weekend. 'So you need a strong Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hibs, everybody. 'You need that bit of competitiveness. There's a lot of teams that are now trying to muscle their way into things, doing their recruitment, getting players in. It will be interesting.' Read more: Durrant is optimistic that Russell Martin will be able to justify the faith which has been shown in him by the new Rangers owners, the consortium which comprises 49ers Enterprises and American healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh, and lift the Premiership come May. He thinks that having the legendary Aberdeen and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, the last man to lead a non-Old Firm club to the title back in 1985, offering Martin encouragement and advice will only increase the former Scotland centre-half's chances of laying his hands on the trophy. Sir Alex, the Govan native who played up front for his boyhood heroes during the 1960s, paid a visit to Auchenhowie last week and he took in the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round tie against Panathinaikos of Greece at Ibrox on Tuesday night. 'I saw him,' said Durrant. 'He was looking great. He's given the new manager a glowing response. He thinks he'll do really well. So if you're getting something off Sir Alex, he must be well thought of. 'Of course it is good that somebody of his stature is in and around the club. If the manager can go and bounce things off him, there's nobody better to listen to and learn from than Sir Alex. 'I just think his presence about the club, everywhere he goes, not just here but anywhere, is positive. You just want to be a sponge and try to absorb as much as you can from him.' (Image: Andrew Milligan) Durrant spent several years on the Rangers coaching staff, first under Walter Smith and then alongside his old team-mate and friend Ally McCoist, and knows all about the pressure that Martin will be under during the coming 10 months from personal experience. But he felt the way that his side, which featured new recruits Max Aarons, Joe Rothwell and Nasser Djiga, overcame a rocky start against Panathinaikos and recorded, thanks to goals from youngster Findlay Curtis and summer signing Djeidi Gassama, a 2-0 triumph in midweek augurs well for the new season. 'Rangers have another tough game away to Motherwell in their opener,' he said. Fir Park is another ground Rangers haven't really done too well in the last few seasons. That'll be another test. 'Everyone's talking about the fourth game of the season already. You don't get the opportunity to get the Champions League qualifiers out the way and they're talking about Celtic at Ibrox in the fourth game! 'That's the nature of the beast here. There are a few tough games before that. He's given himself a wee fighting chance to get through to the next round in the Champions League with a clean sheet and a two-goal start.' Read more: Despite his amusement about the feverish excitement which exists among both the Celtic and Rangers supports about the first Old Firm game of the new term, the multiple Scottish title winner knows that performing better than the reigning champions this season will once again be of paramount importance. But he is interested to see how Hearts fare. His old [[Rangers]] team mate Derek McInnes took over at Tynecastle in May and he expects the former St Johnstone, [[Aberdeen]] and Kilmarnock manager to do well in his new role. He is also intrigued at the increased involvement of Tony Bloom in Gorgie. Bloom, a professional gambler who bought a 29 per cent stake for a £9.86m investment, has vowed to do his utmost to disrupt 'the pattern of domination in Scottish football'. The data-led approach to recruitment which he has overseen at both Brighton in England and Royal Union Saint-Gilloise (RUSG) in Belgium has worked wonders. RUSG were crowned champions for the first time in 90 years last term despite having a far smaller transfer budget, player wage bill and average home attendance than bigger and wealthier domestic rivals like Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Genk, Gent, Royal Antwerp and Standard Liege. (Image: Steven Paston) 'Mr Bloom has come in and has had financial help to give Derek,' he said. 'They've had a great start to the season. Unbeaten so far. 'People have always talked about Hearts being a great club. But Derek will want to go and to put his own stamp on it now. He won a trophy with Aberdeen, the League Cup. He'll want to go there and replicate that success. 'You'll probably see Hearts getting a few players in. I think the way they operate the system, the way Mr Bloom operates now, they will get players on loan. We'll see how it goes from there.' Light Blues legend Ian Durrant was speaking as he promoted RYDC's Big Blue Jackpot, a new Rangers Lotto prize for supporters who can win guaranteed end-of-month jackpots of at least £12,000 and £15,000 from August. Full details at
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Sir Alex Ferguson endorsement has boosted Rangers' title credentials
'For years now, [[Celtic]] have obviously been dominant,' he said as he looked ahead to the start of the 2024/25 campaign next weekend. 'So you need a strong Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hibs, everybody. 'You need that bit of competitiveness. There's a lot of teams that are now trying to muscle their way into things, doing their recruitment, getting players in. It will be interesting.' Read more: Durrant is optimistic that Russell Martin will be able to justify the faith which has been shown in him by the new Rangers owners, the consortium which comprises 49ers Enterprises and American healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh, and lift the Premiership come May. He thinks that having the legendary Aberdeen and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, the last man to lead a non-Old Firm club to the title back in 1985, offering Martin encouragement and advice will only increase the former Scotland centre-half's chances of laying his hands on the trophy. Sir Alex, the Govan native who played up front for his boyhood heroes during the 1960s, paid a visit to Auchenhowie last week and he took in the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round tie against Panathinaikos of Greece at Ibrox on Tuesday night. 'I saw him,' said Durrant. 'He was looking great. He's given the new manager a glowing response. He thinks he'll do really well. So if you're getting something off Sir Alex, he must be well thought of. 'Of course it is good that somebody of his stature is in and around the club. If the manager can go and bounce things off him, there's nobody better to listen to and learn from than Sir Alex. 'I just think his presence about the club, everywhere he goes, not just here but anywhere, is positive. You just want to be a sponge and try to absorb as much as you can from him.' (Image: Andrew Milligan) Durrant spent several years on the Rangers coaching staff, first under Walter Smith and then alongside his old team-mate and friend Ally McCoist, and knows all about the pressure that Martin will be under during the coming 10 months from personal experience. But he felt the way that his side, which featured new recruits Max Aarons, Joe Rothwell and Nasser Djiga, overcame a rocky start against Panathinaikos and recorded, thanks to goals from youngster Findlay Curtis and summer signing Djeidi Gassama, a 2-0 triumph in midweek augurs well for the new season. 'Rangers have another tough game away to Motherwell in their opener,' he said. Fir Park is another ground Rangers haven't really done too well in the last few seasons. That'll be another test. 'Everyone's talking about the fourth game of the season already. You don't get the opportunity to get the Champions League qualifiers out the way and they're talking about Celtic at Ibrox in the fourth game! 'That's the nature of the beast here. There are a few tough games before that. He's given himself a wee fighting chance to get through to the next round in the Champions League with a clean sheet and a two-goal start.' Read more: Despite his amusement about the feverish excitement which exists among both the Celtic and Rangers supports about the first Old Firm game of the new term, the multiple Scottish title winner knows that performing better than the reigning champions this season will once again be of paramount importance. But he is interested to see how Hearts fare. His old [[Rangers]] team mate Derek McInnes took over at Tynecastle in May and he expects the former St Johnstone, [[Aberdeen]] and Kilmarnock manager to do well in his new role. He is also intrigued at the increased involvement of Tony Bloom in Gorgie. Bloom, a professional gambler who bought a 29 per cent stake for a £9.86m investment, has vowed to do his utmost to disrupt 'the pattern of domination in Scottish football'. The data-led approach to recruitment which he has overseen at both Brighton in England and Royal Union Saint-Gilloise (RUSG) in Belgium has worked wonders. RUSG were crowned champions for the first time in 90 years last term despite having a far smaller transfer budget, player wage bill and average home attendance than bigger and wealthier domestic rivals like Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Genk, Gent, Royal Antwerp and Standard Liege. (Image: Steven Paston) 'Mr Bloom has come in and has had financial help to give Derek,' he said. 'They've had a great start to the season. Unbeaten so far. 'People have always talked about Hearts being a great club. But Derek will want to go and to put his own stamp on it now. He won a trophy with Aberdeen, the League Cup. He'll want to go there and replicate that success. 'You'll probably see Hearts getting a few players in. I think the way they operate the system, the way Mr Bloom operates now, they will get players on loan. We'll see how it goes from there.' Light Blues legend Ian Durrant was speaking as he promoted RYDC's Big Blue Jackpot, a new Rangers Lotto prize for supporters who can win guaranteed end-of-month jackpots of at least £12,000 and £15,000 from August. Full details at
