THE Rangers manager Alex McLeish yesterday joined his striker Dado Prso in issuing a thinly-veiled suggestion that Hearts will be unable to see off the challenge of the Ibrox side as the clubs battle for second place in the SPL.

Rangers' comfortable win over Dundee United last Sunday, their sixth league game in succession without defeat, coupled with Hearts' narrow reverse at Celtic Park on Wednesday left McLeish's men just three points behind the Tynecastle side in their quest to reach next season's Champions League qualifiers.
7 Wonders

Hearts held a 16-point gap over last season's title winners in December, and McLeish said: "Hearts are a good side, I'm not going to say anything to the contrary. They have some good experienced players, and have had a great season.

"But they have yet to experience some of the experiences that we have. They haven't quite gone through some of our own fightbacks over the last three or four years.

"We've just got to keep concentrating on winning games. I've not got a crystal ball, but I know there's good momentum with us, good form and good confidence in the team.

"We have taken a lot of criticism, but we have tremendous experience of bouncing back from adversity."

McLeish added that he wouldn't like the final meeting between the two teams, which will take place at Ibrox, to fall on the final day of the SPL season but admits the club's final five games are at the mercy of the league with Rangers set to play three of their post-split matches away from home.

The Rangers manager said he had congratulated Gordon Strachan on his debut title victory as Celtic manager, but disputed any suggestion that the gap between the Old Firm rivals has been somewhat easier to take during recent months because of his friendship with his counterpart at Parkhead.

"They've won the championship, and they've deserved to win the championship," said McLeish. "Gordon has done a great job.

"I'm disappointed for the Rangers fans that we haven't mounted a more serious challenge, but if we'd had last week's squad for every game this season then there's no doubt in my mind that it would have been closer."

Barry Ferguson will have his training curtailed during the closing weeks of the season as he attempts to play through an ankle injury, while Chris Burke remains doubtful for tomorrow's visit of Motherwell.

Taken from the Scotsman