Rangers defy final analysis

JAMES TRAYNOR

5 Apr 1993

AS Walter Smith continues to be asked to reveal the secret of Rangers' success, he continuesto study the tops of his footwear and shrug his shoulders.

It is not that the manager is reluctant to divulge the secret, it's just that, like the rest of us, Smith is uncertain as to the DNA of his own team.

They have worked hard in training, of course, Smith is not a novice when it comes to tactics, and he does have better players than any other manager in Scotland, but there is more than this to a team which can play away from home in European competition and win there also.

Many have tried to explain the phenomenon by talking about the tremendous spirit and camaraderie within the Ibrox squad, and while that can be a potent force, does it explain everything Rangers have done so far this season and does it account fully for their march to the brink of European glory?

You know, it might just be better to forget attempts to analyse Rangers.

Maybe we should all sit back and enjoy their run while it lasts and hope they can give the entire Scottish game, faced with great uncertainty, a lift by appearing in the final of the European Cup.

That target is a distinct possibility, given the manner in which Smith's side have coped with two of three crucial matches squeezed into a nine-day period.

Last Tuesday they had to deal with Aberdeen, who were being stubborn by refusing to give up on the premier division championship, and on Saturday Hearts arrived at the neutral venue of Celtic Park determined to claim a place in the Scottish Cup final at Rangers' expense.

Both Aberdeen and Hearts were seen off and now Rangers, brimming with confidence, turn to the third contest, the big one, against Marseille on Wednesday night.

They are entitled to feel optimistic because they proved again against Hearts that they are at their most dangerous when stung.

The Edinburgh side took the lead 58 minutes into a tousy, scrappy game and as their supporters -- ludicrously crammed into the visitors' part of the terracings while a quarter of it remained closed -- celebrated, Rangers looked in trouble.

They had not been functioning smoothly and never had been in control of the game.

Allan Preston, who had darted between Dave McPherson and Richard Gough to get his head to John Robertson's excellent cross from the right, scored and, for a time, Rangers' notion of winning the treble was in jeopardy.

It was then the X-factor came into play and Rangers, as they have done so many times this season, forced their way back into the game and, this time, also the cup final.

McPherson got to Trevor Steven's corner, John Millar failed to clear, and the ball rolled back in front of McPherson, who swung the weaker of his two legs, the left, and scored only his third goal of the season.

Apart from having allowed McPherson two attempts, Hearts had reason to be angry because, it seemed to me, that instead of awarding Rangers the corner, referee Douglas Hope should have given the Edinburgh side a goal kick.

Nevertheless, the damage had been done and Ally McCoist, who had missed a few opportunities earlier, scored the winner after 73 minutes and, at the same time, took a hefty clatter from Nicky Walker.

McCoist required treatment, but was able to continue and join in the celebrations at the end.

His former team-mate, Derek Ferguson, didn't stay the distance even though he had been the most polished performer.

The Hearts midfield man had been suffering the effects of a virus and as the game progressed he grew weaker.

Late on, when it became clear that he could give no more, he was withdrawn.

Glynn Snodin went on but, by then, it was too late.

"It's hard to take in," Joe Jordan said, "and it's disappointing for everyone associated with Hearts.

The cup final is the gala day for everyone, but now that has been killed.

It's the end of the road for us."

Nevertheless, he believes he has the basis of a team which can transform Hearts from a nearly club into one capable of winning trophies and in Ferguson he has one of the best midfield men in the country.

Ferguson is out of contract at the end of the season and Jordan, who already has had talks with the 25-year-old, is anxious to keep him at Tynecastle.

"I want him to stay and I think he would like to stay," said Jordan.

"He had a stage today and he performed on it.

He showed quality and when you have a player like that, you have something to work with."

Jordan said he would rather talk in greater detail about the merits or otherwise of his team at a later date and pointed out that all he and the players can do now is try to collect points and make certain of their place in next season's European competition.

However, while that is an admirable ambition in itself Hearts supporters have been taken to the verge of glory so many times only to suffer painful defeats that one must wonder how much longer they will be able to cope.

Hearts brought a good support to Glasgow on Saturday and, watching their sombre, disconsolate faces peer from the windows as their cars and buses streamed back to the east, it was difficult not to have sympathy.

Sometimes football is just too cruel.

Taken from the Herald