victory over Livingston and so he should be. The Gers bossed the game
from the first minute to the last and, although we would all like to
have seen a few more goals, a 3-0 win to go top of the heap put a smile
on this crabbit old Bear’s face. Livvy were crap but we beat them
convincingly enough, although there were times when the place was so
quiet a stranger passing by might have thought we were struggling.
With Caley Thistle also having got off to a winning start at Falkirk,
this weekend’s jaunt up North promises to be more than a tad tougher
but thankfully the team can rely on the vocal backing of the travelling
Bears so there will be no library-like atmosphere. And with Craig
Brewster and his lot having come pretty close to killing off last
season's title challenge long before anyone ever envisaged the need for
a helicopter, there can be no complacency in our ranks.
Memories of those two potentially crippling 1-1 draws will see to it
that the Freckled One has his men suitably noised up. Having got off to
a good start, it is essential that we build on it, quickly pile up the
points to send out the message that, while we welcome the chase, we
ain’t overly fond of our rivals sticking too close. Make no mistake
about, the others will be paying close attention to events in
Inverness. If we make heavy weather of it, they will see it as a sign
that we, like a certain other team I’m reluctant to mention, are there
for the taking…but a solid Rangers performance will let them know we
are too hot to handle, just like we were last weekend.
Baz may well have got the official Man Of The Match award but, for me,
Dado was the star. He worked his socks off, dropping back or drifting
wide to make himself available for a pass, taking defenders walkies
into the bargain, and it was no surprise to see him on the spot to
batter in the rebound when the keeper blocked Alex Rae’s 22nd minute
shot.
Another goal before half-time would have settled us down nicely but we
had to wait until nine minutes after the break when Dado got a touch to
a Lovenkrands cross and, although the ball was surely on its way into
the net, Pierre Fanfan made sure from Tam Forsyth's favourite distance.
Thereafter, it was just a matter of how many and, when Livvy were
reduced to ten men when Brittain made a silly lunge at Ian Murray, I
really fancied a 4-0 or 5-0 scoreline. But we took our foot off the
gas, settled for holding on to the ball and not doing anything silly,
and had to make do with just one more goal from Blue Peter in injury
time.
In what may well have been his farewell performance at Ibrox,
Lovenkrands was an infuriating as ever. When he sets off down the
outside, using his pace to get away from his marker and fire in a
cross, he is great to watch. But for reasons best known to himself,
Pete regularly insists on cutting inside, into a busier area and on to
his non-existent right foot. God, if I could’ve got closer to him, I
would definitely have throttled him, he got my back up so often.
Then right at the death off he goes, beats one, cuts inside, runs away
from another, beats one more, then cracks a superb right foot shot low
into the corner of the net. Didn’t you hear me? "Lovenkrands, ya
useless, selfish, feckin…get in there, ya beauty!"
Maybe that wee flash will be enough to earn him his move to
Middlesbrough. If he goes, we should wish him well. The past 18 months
haven’t seen him look too clever but I’m sure his imposter days will
quickly fade from the memory and we’ll all cherish the vision of his
goals against the Scum Of, not least of all in the 2002 Cup Final. And
if pulling in a transfer fee and getting Pete off the wage-bill enables
Big Eck to sign the defender he wants, it will be a happy day for all
of us.
The Grandmaster’s intolerably early deadline means I write this with
the move for Monaco’s Julien Rodriguez hanging in the balance. The talk
is of Rangers paying a million to take him on loan for a year. Add in
his wages and the deal strikes me as hardly the most cost effective
option. If JR is as good as Eck says he is, why not shell out a wee bit
more, make him our player on a long-term contract and let the manager
plan further into the future? Or have we learned nothing from the
Kygiakos affair?
The team has yet to be tested and, although they are hardly Champions
League material, Caley Thistle might give our guys something to think
about on Saturday. Having consolodated their place in the SPL, they'll
be looking to go one step further, pushing into the top six and maybe
challenging for a place in Europe so they will see Rangers as a
target. Big Marv and Fanfan certainly won't stroll through this one.
With us about to take our first tentative steps into Europe next week,
McLeish has to be sure in his own mind about the line-up to get us into
the Champions League and it may be that blooding a new man at the heart
of the defence at this stage is a risk he doesn’t want to take. Craig
Brewster is strong enough and shrewd enough to exploit any uncertainty
in our back line so the manager's midweek thoughts may be guided by how
our defenders handle things on Saturday.
In a similar situation a little later in the season, having opened up a
gap at the top of the table, it would be understandable if he shuffled
things around to rest his main men for the European challenge. But the
trip to the Highlands is a big game too and at this early stage the
three points are a must, if only to help to give him that option a
little further down the line.
LITTLE BOY BLUE