Rangers cling to faint hopes

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The fixture list having failed to grant Rangers the situation they craved - a game against Heart of Midlothian prior to the last day of the season - the Ibrox side are now halfway through the exit door of the last-chance saloon.

If they fail to beat Hibernian at Easter Road this evening, Rangers will have to concede the runners-up spot and a Champions League qualifying berth to Hearts, no matter what happens tomorrow night when Aberdeen visit Tynecastle.

Even should Rangers draw and Hearts lose tomorrow, bringing the teams to within three points of each other before they meet at Ibrox on Sunday, goal difference would settle the issue in favour of the Tynecastle side.

Nevertheless, the conspiracy theorists have been out in force lately and some Hearts fans claim to entertain the belief that Hibs will choose to be supine against Rangers.

The idea is that if Rangers make second place Hibs could get into the Uefa Cup by finishing fourth, while if Hearts are runners-up their Scottish Cup final opponents, Gretna, will get the spare European place.

This theory rather founders on the fact that if Hibs and Hearts both lose their midweek games, Aberdeen will be fourth in the table on goal difference.

Nevertheless, those who have promoted the notion of a manipulated finale point to the final game of last season, when Rangers led Hibs 1-0 at Easter Road and neither side attacked the other in the closing stages.

Ian Murray, now with Rangers, played for Hibs in that game but yesterday he cut through the Gordian knot of dark motives when he said: "I was talking to a couple of the Hibs players last week. I don't think people can go out and deliberately score own goals, give away penalties and ultimately throw a game intentionally. The fans would not put up with it - they would not let the players short-change them that way.

"I know there was a situation at the end of last season's match but we had a chance of losing Europe if we charged forward and lost more goals so we had to be cautious. Hibs know that Aberdeen are breathing down their necks so I think they will be trying all right."

Jay Shields, Hibs' 21-year-old defender, yesterday agreed a 12-month extension to his contract and has now signed until June 2007.

Hearts, meanwhile, issued a statement in response to suggestions that midfielder Rudi Skacel spat at Celtic's Neil Lennon at Tynecastle on Sunday: "Rudi strenuously denies any of the reported allegations made by Neil Lennon. The player is deeply offended and is furious at the associated implication of these remarks."

Taken from telegraph.co.uk