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CAN GERS SHRINK VIOLETS?

Uefa Cup Rangers
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Rangers take on Fiorentina tonight in the first leg of their Uefa Cup semi-final. It promises to be an electric atmosphere at Ibrox as Walter Smith's depleted side take on a resurgent Fiorentina.

Smith has adopted his cagey yet highly flexible 4-1-4-1 formation in order to contain la Viola's many threats but also allowing Rangers to break forward at speed.

Here is the Rangers side:

Alexander, Broadfoot, Cuellar, Weir, Papac, Hemdani, Dailly, Novo, Whittaker, Davis, Darcheville.

The bedrock of Rangers success this season has been the settled back four of Broadfoot (since Alan Hutton's departure), Carlos Cuellar, David Weir and Sasa Papac but they face possibly their sternest test yet this evening....

So, some quick questions to get the chat rolling along:

Can Neil Alexander step into the shoes of the outstanding Allan McGregor?

Can the indomitable Carlos Cuellar stifle the quicksilver talents of reborn former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu?

With skipper Barry Ferguson and Kevin Thomson missing out through suspension can Steve Davis rise to the challenge of running the show in the Rangers midfield?

Davis is will play in front of the holding duo of Christian Dailly and Brahim Hemdani.

The Northern Irishman will be expected to put himself about while also getting forward to support the lone striker - the rampagingly reliable Jean-Claude Darcheville.

He'll also be up against one of Italy's best young players, Riccardo Montolivo - the 23-year-old attacking midfielder won the Serie A Young Player of the Year award last season.

Nacho Novo gets a rare start wide on the right while Steven Whittaker replaces the injured Lee McCulloch on the left.

It's tantalising stuff and BBC Sport will provide live coverage on BBC Radio Scotland 810 MW and online.

Please send in all your rants and raves as the action unfolds...

Latest 10 comments

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posted Apr 25, 2008

I'm sure just about all Rangers fans will agree
& accept that at the moment we are not a top qualtity side playing an entertaining brand of football. We simply don't have the players to do this. We are however a well organised, hard working team who are hard to beat. So the options going into big games against teams who are on paper a class above us is to either have a go at playing silky football & get pumped or play to our strengths, frustrate them & grind out a result. If garden2008 knew anything about football or any other competitve sport he would appreciate that it's winning that counts.

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posted Apr 25, 2008

The Fiorentina fans are as bad as the Barca ones

"Don't play defensive football, be entertaining, attack" In other words, play right into your hands and against our strength.

Why not complain that we used a goalkeeper? It meant that less goals were scored... boring!

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comment by Whoody (U5111875)

posted Apr 25, 2008

Why is Ibrox out of this world.

Cos the pitch is like the moon and there's absolutely no atmosphere.

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posted Apr 25, 2008

Good one Woody, did your mummy help you with the typing?

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posted Apr 25, 2008

Good one Whoody, did your mummy help you with the typing?

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posted Apr 25, 2008

Beargrilled, I'm not talking about Rangers in Europe, I'm talking about in general. They play that defensive way all the time and it's not nice to watch. Okay , your team is jammying almost all there results, but the football almost every game regardless of the opposition is poor. It's only Gers fan who are entertained by this drabble. I dare not think if Rangers somehow did become exciting to watch and play, how you would react.Cardiac arrests all round I reckon.
My point is it's not nice to watch and I reckon it is a sad day for football when a team who rarely gets 3 of there palyers passed there own halfway line,while playing at home could be the team who will be entertaining us in a final. It's not right and not football.

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comment by Pisces (U10274403)

posted Apr 25, 2008


Yesterday's game gave new meaning to the word "BORING". I read that the crowd had to awakened after the final whistle so that they could go home. They should also have been offered a refund!

I think we will continue to see this garbage football until that stupid "away goal" rule is done away with.

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posted Apr 25, 2008

wow...0-0
didn't expect that

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posted Apr 25, 2008

A Celtic fan complaining about the away goals rule?

I think that you are just jealous that we can actually score away goals

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posted Apr 25, 2008

Just to try & make it clearer for garden2008.
Alexander - was playing English 1st division until January.
Broadfoot - was playing with St.Mirren last year & is one of the poorest seen at Ibrox.
Papac - a centre half filling in at left back
Weir - 38 year old who came from Everton reserves.
Cuellar - the exception.
Novo - hard working but with no genuine ability
Davis - not good enough for Fulhams relegation battle.
Dailly - 35 year old from West Ham reserves
Hemdani - 1 paced 30 year old holding player.
Whittaker - right back playing left mid.
Darcheville - 32 year old with bad hamstrings who can't last more than 60mins.
Which of these players do you feel is capable of playing this exciting brand of attacking football you crave. As a previously commented if you don't like it don't watch it. Your like
Mary Whitehouse moaning about having to sit through a 2 hour porn film on Channel 5.

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