Jambos can have world at their feet

Rodger Baillie

IF ever a game was tailor made to give Scotland coach Craig Brown a bloody nose it's this one.

The national boss will watch from the Parkhead stand as Paul Ritchie, Steve Fulton, Colin Cameron and Neil McCann attempt to inspire a famous Jambos victory.

All four are vital to Hearts' hopes of winning their first Scottish Cup in 42 years - but all four were rejected as being too young by Brown when he named his World Cup squad.

Attaching that label to Fulton, at 27, was surprising.

Turning down Ritchie was even more of a shock because Scotland's defence is certainly getting on in years and a pair of young legs in the squad would have done no harm.

Brown rates players from outside the Old Firm on how they perform in games against the big two.

Sterling performances from any of those four to guide the Jambos to glory would leave Brown with more than a little egg on his face.

Of course, the World Cup rejects will not all be wearing maroon today.

Stuart McCall and Ally McCoist have also been deemed surplus to requirements this summer and there is no one more dangerous than Coisty when he has been written off.

The Rangers hitman was gobsmacked to be omitted from Brown's party for the World Cup warm-ups in the United States and nothing would please him more than taking centre stage with the national coach looking on today.

To be fair, there are plenty of Rangers players with a point to prove at Parkhead.

The curtain is ringing down on a whole host of Ibrox careers with new boss Dick Advocaat due to take over in the summer.

Brian Laudrup will be playing his last match for the club before heading for pastures new and the Rangers faithful are looking for a final flourish from him.

So far this season, the Dane has saved his worst for last and he will be desperate to go out on a high.

After David Murray persuaded him to stick around for one last season with the club everything seemed set fair but, so far, there has been no fairytale ending.

A bout of chickenpox which forced him to miss the disastrous 3-0 defeat by Gothenburg in the qualifying round of the Champions League set the tone and it has been downhill from there.

The electric pace and devastating trickery which destroyed defences has been missing this season, leaving some to accuse Laudo of soft-pedalling towards his big bucks move to Chelsea.

It's an accusation which has stung the Dane and he will be determined to leave Gers fans with one final memory of his greatness.

Both teams have already proved they can rise to the big occasion.

Last season's Coca-Cola Cup final crunch was as good a domestic showpiece as there had been in years.

Hearts, fresh from a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Rangers in the 1996 Scottish Cup Final, graduated to another level as they lost out to the Ibrox men in a seven-goal thriller.

It took the genius of Paul Gascoigne to finally subdue them that day as they battled back from two goals down to give the Ibrox faithful a real fright.

After a title race which threatened to turn Scottish football into a laughing stock as the major contenders tossed away points like confetti, a pulsating Scottish Cup final would be the ideal sign-off for the season.

If only both sides can overcome the nerves which so often paralyse sides on the big occasion, this could once again be a match to remember.

The history books show the two clubs have actually met in a Scottish Cup final at Parkhead before, way back in 1903.

The omens don't make good reading for Hearts because Rangers triumphed in a second replay.

At least the weather forecast is better for this match because 95 years ago the match was actually delayed for 18 minutes - by a BLIZZARD.

While the first and second games finished level at 1-1 and 0-0 Rangers finally triumphed by the early 1900s version of McCoist, one R.C.

Hamilton.

Hamilton, the only man to have notched more Old Firm goals than Super Ally, struck twice to win Rangers the trophy.

Hearts would happily settle for re-creating a little history of their own by turning the clock back 42 years to their last triumph in 1956.

A massive crowd of 133,399 were crammed into Hampden to see a Jambos side inspired by the legendary front line of Alfie Conn, Willie Bauld and Jimmy Wardhaugh sink Celtic.

Crawford struck twice and Conn once while Mike Haughney fired a consolation goal for Celtic.

What wouldn't Hearts give to make it an Old Firm double today and parade the famous trophy along the Gorgie Road.