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Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Ex-Rangers boss Alex McLeish reflects on Euro agony vs Panathinaikos and offers Walter Smith advice to Russell Martin
He's shared some memories of his early days at Ibrox GREEK TRAGEDY Ex-Rangers boss Alex McLeish reflects on Euro agony vs Panathinaikos and offers Walter Smith advice to Russell Martin Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ALEX McLEISH saw his European dreams crushed the last time Rangers faced Panathinaikos in the Champions League. Now he hopes Russell Martin's side make amends on Tuesday night. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 6 Michael Mols' goal wasn't enough to stop Rangers going down to Panathinaikos 6 Alex McLeish's men needed to win at Ibrox to drop into the UEFA Cup 6 But the 3-1 defeat saw McLeish's charges crash out of Europe Eck was in charge at Ibrox when they hosted the Greeks in the group stages in December 2003. Back-to-back away defeats to Manchester United and Stuttgart, after a home loss to the Old Trafford side, had killed their knockout stage hopes. Gers had a solid start, beating the Germans in Govan and drawing away in Athens. Still, a win against the Greeks on matchday six would have seen Rangers into the Uefa Cup. But a 3-1 loss saw them finish bottom of Group E on goal difference. Michael Mols put Gers ahead, but goals from Raimondas Zutautas, Angelos Basinas and Michalis Konstantinou stunned Ibrox. McLeish said: 'We'd got past FC Copenhagen in the qualifying round then started the group well against Stuttgart. 'We could actually have won in Greece too — they scored right at the end to get a draw. 'But 1-1 was a good result, and four points out of six was a good start. 'We were a bit limp in the two United games, and went into the last game at Ibrox knowing a Uefa Cup place was the best we could get. New Rangers chiefs Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe's first interview 'Mols put us ahead but they equalised straight away, went in front, and hit us with a third on the break when we were pushing forward. 'It was a poor performance, and I just hope Rangers can make amends for it on Tuesday night. 'After the Treble in 2002-03 we'd made a lot of changes to the squad and we were in the middle of a rebuild. 'Barry Ferguson and Lorenzo Amoruso had joined Blackburn, Neil McCann went to Southampton, Arthur Numan had left. 'The squad was definitely weaker and it showed in the European games. 'It was still pretty close against Panathinaikos, but we weren't at the level of previous seasons.' McLeish knows the pressure is on new Gers boss Martin going into Tuesday's clash — but thought back to his first Old Firm game as manager, the CIS Cup semi-final in 2002, for inspiration. Eck added: 'I was staying in a hotel and I was stomping around my room the night before with all those thoughts in my head. Have YOU got a point for Kris Boyd? Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah chew over the big talking points each week SOMETHING you've just got to get off your chest from the weekend action? A burning Scottish football talking point you can't wait to bring up with Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah? SunSport's GoBallistic show wants to hear from you! So why not help set the Scottish football agenda for the week ahead! Have your say on the game's big topics by emailing us on: GoBallistic@ It's YOUR turn to Go Ballistic! 'There had been a bit of scepticism about my appointment, and we were going into my first Old Firm game with Celtic going for back-to-back Trebles. 'I'd the wee devil on one side going, 'What if you never beat Celtic? You'll go down in history as a dumpling'. "And the wee angel was going, 'But what if you win? How good would it be?'. 'I rang Sir Alex Ferguson that night and had a chat, told him how we were going into the game as underdogs. 'He said to make sure my defence was locked tight, but also to make sure I'd one or two in the team with the X-factor. 'Being honest, I wasn't envisaging Bert Konterman as my X-factor guy! 6 "But he was the hero of the hour with his flash of inspiration to win the game. 'I get the fans' concern about whether there's been enough preparation for this. 'But it would be a fantastic boost if Russell got his tactics right and got a result. It would silence the doubters. 'For me, that Celtic game lit the touchpaper and we went on to win trophies. So it just takes one result. 6 Alex McLeish hopes Russell Martin fares better against the Greeks than he did "But Russell will know it's going to be tough. Greece's international team were really good against Scotland in the Nations League play-off in March. 'It's not going be a walkover and I don't think people are thinking that way. 'It might be that Rangers need that underdog mentality. Make sure they are absolutely watertight but still have a bit of flair, with match winners in the side. 'Russell had a very difficult job at Southampton and he knows the demands at Rangers. 'I think back to going to dinner with Walter Smith and our wives when I took over. "I asked if he had any tips for me, and he looked furtively over his shoulder and leaned forward towards me. 'I thought, 'Brilliant, I'm going to get some penetrating insight, the benefit of all his experience'. 6 'And he said, 'Just f****** win, that's all there is to it!'. I carried that into every single game. 'Russell has been at Rangers, he knows there are critics everywhere and that expectation of winning every week. 'It would be nice to go to Greece with a 2-0 lead. But it will be difficult.' Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Arne Engels reckons Celtic's crushing of Newcastle shows they can cause rivals ‘real pain' in the Champions League
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ARNE ENGELS says Celtic's crushing victory over Newcastle can serve notice of their Champions League ambitions. The Belgian scored from the spot as Celtic won 4-0 against the side who'll go straight into the group stages of European football's elite tournament after finishing fifth in the English Premier League. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 4 Arne Engels celebrates his goal against Newcastle 4 And he believes the team's all-round performance can stand them in good stead 4 The Hoops are desperate to get back to the Champions League group stage again this year Celtic have to wait until the play-off round draw on August 4 to find out who they'll face to reach the group stage. But Engels says Saturday's win shows they can cause top teams 'real pain'. He said: 'One hundred percent the result was good for our confidence. 'It's a preseason game, so you never know how it will go, but it's always good to get good results against good opponents. 'It's up to us to now keep this going. We go to the Como tournament now and we'll see how it goes there. 'But it's up to us to just maintain the standards we've set for each other, and it's only going to get better and better. 'It's a big goal of ours, to reach the Champions League. In a few weeks, there will be really big games coming up. 'It's up to us to get physically really ready for those, and I'm sure we'll do great in those two games. "We just want to get into the Champions League and see how it goes there. 'We set a really big standard for ourselves in the Champions League last season and that's also something we can reach again because we have a really good squad. Celtic launch new away kit with trailer featuring Scottish music icon and Hoops legends 'But it's not as easy as saying 'You need to go further' because we did really great. 'It's up to us to show we're a really good squad and that we can cause a lot of teams real pain. We did that on Saturday so let's see how it goes. "It was a really good game. We had good positions in possession, and we really played well. 'Physically we feel really good. In the pressing, we were amazing. 'Overall, it was a really good game and it's always nice to see 4-0 on the scoreboard. "We have a lot of football qualities and sometimes it suits us better if the opponent is a bit bigger than us. 'It's the same in the league - a lot of opponents have a lot of big guys at the back. 'But it's then up to us to just go through it and try to play football on the ground, because in the air maybe you won't win it. 'But then you see with the second goal, where Kasper had the assist, that we can play in the air as well. We can mix it up." Have YOU got a point for Kris Boyd? Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah chew over the big talking points each week SOMETHING you've just got to get off your chest from the weekend action? A burning Scottish football talking point you can't wait to bring up with Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah? SunSport's GoBallistic show wants to hear from you! So why not help set the Scottish football agenda for the week ahead! Have your say on the game's big topics by emailing us on: GoBallistic@ It's YOUR turn to Go Ballistic! The arrival of Swede Benjamin Nygren - a second-half sub on Saturday - adds more competition to the Celtic midfield, but Engels, who's been repeatedly linked with a move to Serie A Atalanta, says he's relishing that. But he said: "It's always nice to get a lot of quality players in and it's up to us to show ourselves to the manager and everybody else in the stadium. 'There's always going to be competition everywhere, so it's just about keeping doing the right things that you always do. 4 "We have a really good squad and there will always be rumours about players coming in or going. 'It's up to us to keep this all inside. You saw on Saturday that we have a lot of quality already. 'We'll see what's going in and going out - we never know. But the squad here now is fantastic. "Everybody who's come in is really impressing us. They're still settling in. 'But on Saturday you could see that they're adapting to the system, to the style of play and the fitness we ask from each other. 'I'm really happy with all the guys, not only in games but in training also.' Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Major development in Hamza Igamane's Rangers transfer as ‘THREE clubs bid to hijack Lille's pursuit for striker'
HAMZA IGAMANE could still fire Rangers into the Champions League this season despite the Ibrox club being locked in transfer discussions with Lille. The French side have been leading the race for the Moroccan striker's signature this summer, but talks over a potential move to Ligue 1 have stalled in recent weeks. 2 Hamza Igamane scored 16 goals for Gers last season Credit: Willie Vass 2 Igamane celebrating winner against Celtic Credit: Willie Vass He still remains very much a Rangers player for the moment ahead of the club's crucial Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos on Tuesday. But it's still looking unlikely that Russell Martin will still be able to hold onto the forward in the latter stages of the window. According to reports, Igamane now has THREE other clubs on his trail amid the ongoing uncertainty around his proposed move to Lille. Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri claims both Rangers and Lille are still in talks, but the Ligue 1 side are "struggling" to meet the Light Blues' demands. That has reportedly allowed the likes of Everton, Udinese and Feyenoord to join the race. Everton have been credited with interest in the 22-year-old for months, but the news of Udinese and Feyenoord's interest is a fresh development. It's claimed that although the Dutch giants have expressed interest, it is fact Everton and Udinese that have both made an initial approach to Rangers. The report suggests that both the English club and Italian outfit have made an enquiry to the Govan club. Udinese have clearly been keeping close eyes on Scottish football in recent years as the club have also been looking at Reo Hatate from Celtic and Motherwell's Lennon Miller too. It's understood that Rangers are holding out for a fee of around £15million for Igamane. 'Absolutely brilliant or RUBBISH' - Gassama Rangers transfer verdict and Souttar to leave That would see Gers make a mega profit after they only bought him for £1.7m last summer. He was a standout in Glasgow last season as he netted 16 goals throughout the campaign - including a famous winner against Celtic at Parkhead. Have YOU got a point for Kris Boyd? Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah chew over the big talking points each week SOMETHING you've just got to get off your chest from the weekend action? A burning Scottish football talking point you can't wait to bring up with Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah? SunSport's GoBallistic show wants to hear from you! So why not help set the Scottish football agenda for the week ahead! Have your say on the game's big topics by emailing us on: GoBallistic@ It's YOUR turn to Go Ballistic! Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Newcastle Utd fans take over Rangers pub and set off pyro ahead of Celtic friendly clash
THIS is the moment Newcastle fans took over a RANGERS pub in the East End of Glasgow ahead of today's friendly clash with Celtic Park. The Bristol Bar, who sits at the end of Duke Street in the Dennistoun area, is usually packed with followers of the Ibrox side. 2 Banners bedecked the outside of the Rangers pub 2 Newcastle fans set off pyro But supporters of Newcastle United took it over today, with 10,000 members of the Toon Army travelling north for the friendly clash. Images widely shared on social media showed Newcastle fans letting off pyrotechnics and covered the outside of the pub with flags and banners in the hours before the game. Earlier there were good natured scenes between followers of Celtic and Newcastle in the city centre - although there were reports of trouble between fans in the area near the Barras market. More to follow. Have YOU got a point for Kris Boyd? Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah chew over the big talking points each week SOMETHING you've just got to get off your chest from the weekend action? A burning Scottish football talking point you can't wait to bring up with Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah? SunSport's GoBallistic show wants to hear from you! So why not help set the Scottish football agenda for the week ahead! Have your say on the game's big topics by emailing us on: GoBallistic@ It's YOUR turn to Go Ballistic! Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Have your got a point for Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah? Get in touch with SunSport's fantastic GoBallistic YouTube show
Read on to find out exactly how you can get involved GET INVOLVED Have your got a point for Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah? Get in touch with SunSport's fantastic GoBallistic YouTube show SOMETHING you've just got to get off your chest from the weekend's football action? A burning Scottish football talking point you can't wait to bring up with Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah? Advertisement 3 Scottish Sun's head of sport Roger Hannah 3 Nicolas Raskin and Arne Engels do battle at Ibrox Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 Kris Boyd has a discerning take on the Scottish game GoBallistic wants to hear from you! The flagship show on Scottish Sun Sport's fast-growing YouTube channel, GoBallistic is the perfect platform for Kris and Roger to pick over all the juiciest football controversies and talking points. So why not help set the Scottish football agenda for the week ahead! Have your say on the game's big topics by emailing us on: GoBallistic@ Advertisement It's YOUR turn to Go Ballistic! Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
