but not even the German midfielder would have realised his goals had even more significance, in that they rounded off a remarkable 'Grand Slam' of debut goals in every tournament the player has played in.
Despite the fact that Nerlinger joined Rangers in the summer of 2001, the Forfar tie was remarkably his League Cup debut, and his three goals mean that he has found the net ON HIS DEBUT in every tournament he has played in whilst at Rangers.
The breakdown is as follows:
European Cup v Maribor (a) 3-0 (1 goal) - NB This game also marked Nerlinger's competitive debut.
League: v Aberdeen (a) 28.07.01 3-0 (1 goal)
Scottish Cup v Partick Thistle (Hampden) 24.03.02 3-0 (2 goals)
League Cup v Forfar Athletic (h) 28.10.03 6-0 (3 goals)
Champions League proper v Stuttgart (h) 16.09.03 2-1
(1 goal)
A remarkable - and unique - statistic.
Speaking after the Forfar game, Nerlinger
"It's always nice to get back to winning ways. Tonight is the first time I've ever scored a hat-trick - there were good deliveries for every goal - it will give me confidence for the games in the coming weeks.”
Still on Rangers, recent reports that the club's recent five-match run without a win was their worst in thirteen years is complete nonsense, as can quickly be ascertained by a glance at the following results under Dick Advocaat in Season 2000-01:
Oct 14 - Hibernian (a) L 0-1
Oct 17 - Galatasaray (h) CL 0-0
Oct 22 - St. Johnstone (a) L 1-2
Oct 25 - Sturm Graz (a) CL 0-2
Oct 28 - Kilmarnock (h) L 0-3
Still, why let the facts get in the way of a good story?