Rangers midfielder Brahim Hemdani has denied reports coming from France that he has been in talks with Reading about a move.
Steve Coppell has been strongly linked with a move for the player but Hemdani himself has denied all the speculation.
The Royals boss has confirmed he will be looking to add experienced players to the squad come January and Hemdani looked as though he would fit the bill, but it has been ruled it out.
"Who? Reading? No, there is no change with my situation," Hemdani told the Daily Record.
"I have no problems at all and I'm not looking to go back to France or anywhere else."
28 October 2007
Rangers defender Andy Webster is facing a second operation on the knee he injured in January, Gers manager Walter Smith has confirmed.
The Scotland international suffered the injury in his first training session following his loan move from Wigan.
The 25-year-old recovered and made a scoring debut in the 4-0 win over Gretna on September 1, but an ankle injury saw him sidelined again.
However, the knee injury is still causing concern and he may have to go back under the knife.
Smith said: "There is a little bit of cartilage causing him a problem and he may need to go back in and get it tidied up. It's the knee he had the operation on in January. He had done the rehab, then damaged his ankle ligaments, was out for six weeks, now he has come back and is getting this pain again. He has not had the best of luck because, although it's a straightforward tidy up, you are looking at another four or five weeks before he is back again."
Meanwhile, fellow defender Stevie Smith is also facing the prospect of more surgery following two operations on the pelvic injury that has kept the 22-year-old out of action since December.
The Rangers manager said: "Stevie's still having a problem. He has been at a specialist in Germany and we are waiting on the results. It might be he will need another operation on his hernia because it has been causing him a bit of bother. The frustrating thing is he has done all his rehab fine. It's just in games when he kicks a ball that he is getting a problem."
27 October 2007
Rangers boss Walter Smith has hailed David Weir as his best value-for-money signing as the defender continues to defy all the odds.
Smith took Weir to Everton for less than £200,000 back in 1999, before calling on his services again as Scotland manager.
He then helped fulfil the player's lifelong ambition by signing him for Rangers after returning to the Ibrox helm in January.
Despite now being in the twilight of his career at the age of 37, Weir has been in outstanding form recently in the Premier League and the Champions League, as well as European Championship qualifiers with Scotland.
"We paid £180,000 for him from Hearts and I have to say he is the best pound-for-pound signing I've made," said Smith.
"He has done it on three occasions for me now as you have to look at what he did when he came back into the international team. From my own point of view, I don't think I could find anybody I could speak more highly of. Plus he is a nice lad as well."
Smith firmly believes Everton's loss has been Rangers' gain, after the Toffees sanctioned the switch to Ibrox almost a year ago.
He said: "At Everton, it was a natural thing for them to look at him and think 'how long can he go on?' But, when I see the way he is playing for us, he is beating that argument by making us aware that he brings something to the team that few people can do."
Smith added: "I don't know how he keeps going, but he doesn't like to take his days off. He does things properly, makes sure he gets plenty of rest and it seems to work for him. He has been terrific lately, not just for Rangers but for the international team as well. I said to him during pre-season training that maybe he shouldn't do as much as the rest of them, but he did every bit. He doesn't like to be looked upon as being different from anybody else and it has stood him in good stead. I think he is looking at a lot of players across Europe at the moment who are playing into their late 30s and sometimes 40s. He's only 37 so he's thinking he can keep going."
Smith believes Weir has been a shining example to his team-mates both on and off the park since his arrival at Rangers.
"I think Davie is good for any young player and even the guys in their late 20s, who want to play for as long as possible," he said.
"Any player who plays to that age has to sacrifice something and he dedicates himself to his profession. I would hope a lot of the other players look at him and try to pick up good habits from him."
27 October 2007
Celtic boss Gordon Strachan has hit out at critics who labelled his tactics during the Champions League defeat by Benfica as defensive.
Strachan rested top scorer Scott McDonald and handed Chris Killen his second start for the club as a lone striker, with Aiden McGeady and Jiri Jarosik the wide men in a five-man midfield.
McGeady, Scott Brown and Massimo Donati all had shooting opportunities before Celtic were pegged back in the final quarter.
Oscar Cardozo's 87th-minute goal left the Hoops bottom of Group D but Strachan believes his tactics had offered scope for attacking as well as the rearguard action of the latter stages.
He said: "We were described as a defensive team on Wednesday - the same team that played against AC Milan apart from one. It was the same system and that was hailed as a fantastic performance and 'up and at 'em'. It's a system that Rangers and Hibs use, but nobody calls that defensive. But we play it again and that was a defensive performance. I couldn't see that. I wouldn't call Jarosik and McGeady defensive players by any stretch of the imagination."
Celtic may need to repeat their home win over Milan when Benfica and Shakhtar Donetsk visit Parkhead but Strachan has faith in his team to progress.
"I think if we had lasted another three minutes, I'm sure even the harshest of critics would have said it was a fantastic result," the Hoops manager said.
"What gives me heart is the players. We are trying to play a system, it's working not too badly. It got us to the top of the table, it has got us three behind the leaders of our table in the Champions League, it has got us through to the next round of the League Cup. But our system needs to be tweaked a bit, we need to work it even more and to try to improve on that. So it's the players that give me heart."
Strachan started with McDonald on the bench at the Estadio da Luz to avoid losing his main striker, as Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Maciej Zurawski are out injured.
Celtic are also without a recognised right-back with Mark Wilson and Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe missing but Strachan was insistent that he would never use the injury list as an excuse.
"It's not a problem to us, I get on with it," he said.
"I'm not looking for excuses. The same people were out when we played AC Milan - we can deal with it. There can't be a blame for everything that happens in football. I think people have to say 'well, why did that happen?' It's football, it's just football sometimes. We do not have an answer to everything that goes on in the world, it's the same with football."
26 October 2007
Celtic midfielder Teddy Bjarnason has urged Gordon Strachan to give the club's key players a rest - so that he can take their place.
The Iceland international recovered from a broken metatarsal to take his place on the bench during the Old Firm defeat at Rangers last Saturday.
And the 20-year-old, who made his Celtic debut in the 2-1 defeat by Hibernian in May, is hopeful of getting his first game of the season as the club's heavy schedule continues.
Celtic suffered an energy-sapping late 1-0 defeat at Benfica on Wednesday and have Mark McGhee's in-form Motherwell to contend with at Parkhead in the Scottish Premier League.
And Bjarnason is waiting in the wings if Strachan feels his midfield needs freshening up.
"There have been loads of games and people must be starting to tire," Bjarnason told the Celtic View.
"That's when I'll be hoping to get my chance, when the manager has to use more players, and I'll be ready to take it. But I'll just have to wait and bide my time. The team is playing well this season and they have shown that by beating AC Milan, last season's Champions League winners. They have had a lot of difficult games and they have done very well, so I have to be patient."
Motherwell centre-half Mark Reynolds is also hoping to capitalise on Celtic's return from Portugal and tough 90 minutes in the Estadio da Luz.
The Scotland Under-21 defender said: "I do know from personal experience that doing a lot of travelling before games does take it out of you. They have a busy schedule so hopefully that will work in our favour, but at the same time they have a massive squad full of quality players that they can pull in who have fresh legs. We just need to concentrate on our game and as long as we turn up and put on a good show for our fans then hopefully the result will take care of itself."
The Steelmen last week followed up their CIS Insurance Cup win over Hibernian by foiling the Edinburgh side's bid to go top of the SPL with a 2-1 victory at Fir Park.
The Lanarkshire side have won three games on the road in the league this season as well as their 4-2 cup triumph at Easter Road.
And such form has convinced the 20-year-old that they should go to Celtic Park with confidence.
He told the club's official website: "The team is not scared of going anywhere or playing against any team at the moment and we know that on our day we can compete and beat anyone in this league, including the champions. Celtic are one of the top teams in Scotland and Europe so we are looking forward to going in against them and proving to everyone that we are a serious threat to be reckoned with this season."
25 October 2007
Charlton have been rocked by the news that Svetoslav Todorov is facing a spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.
The striker picked up the problem during the 2-1 defeat against Plymouth on Tuesday night and Addicks boss Alan Pardew is now anxiously waiting for the results of the scan on the injury.
The Bulgarian will definitely miss the game against QPR this weekend and Pardew will pick two from Luke Varney, Chris Iwelumo and Izale McLeod for the game against the struggling R's.
"Todorov is in hospital and that is bad news for us," said Pardew. "The two that get picked on Saturday [to face Queens Park Rangers] will have to come to the fore for us."
24 October 2007
Barcelona striker Thierry Henry believes Rangers will go through to the knockout stages of the Champions League after they held the Spanish side to a goalless draw on Tuesday night.
As a result, Barcelona and Rangers top Group E at the half way stage, with seven points each.
The Scottish side were expected to struggle in the group that also includes German champions Stuttgart and French champions Lyon.
However, following wins in each of their first two games, and a draw against Barca, Rangers are in a strong position to qualify from the group.
It's an opinion shared by Thierry Henry.
"Why not?" said the Frenchman. "I don't know how the game is going to be at our place but I think Rangers have what it takes to also win in Stuttgart and the decisive game could be here against Lyon."
If Rangers beat Stuttgart later this month, they're likely to only need a draw from their home game with Lyon to advance to the knockout stage.
Henry explained: "If it goes like it is right now, Lyon would have to come here and win with a big scoreline. To be honest, although I am French, I don't see that happening here. You have to give Rangers credit. They fought very hard, they are top of the group with ourselves and they deserve to be where they are."
24 October 2007
Alex McLeish has praised the SPL for postponing the matches involving Rangers and Celtic prior to Scotland's Euro 2008 qualifier against Italy.
The SPL agreed to a request from the Scottish Football Association, instigated by McLeish, to rearrange Celtic's home match against Falkirk on November 10 and Rangers' trip to St Mirren the following day.
New dates for both games will be announced in "due course", the SPL have confirmed, and Scotland manager McLeish is delighted a large number of his players will have a free weekend ahead of the national team's crucial fixture.
"It's great news. We really pushed for it," McLeish told the Daily Mail.
"The managers were behind us all the way. It frees up about 10 players and, while I was never worried about match sharpness, it makes sure these players don't get injured. It is a real boost, a fantastic bonus, and we really appreciate it."
However the SPL are upset with the SFA who declined to meet the cost of postponing the two matches.
SFA chief executive Gordon Smith approached the SPL to seek the postponements after McLeish suggested it would benefit the national team for the Old Firm stars to be allowed a break.
But SPL executive chairman Lex Gold has been unhappy with the SFA's attitude towards finding a solution to suit all parties, and said: "It is a matter of considerable disappointment that the SFA has refused to help defray the costs which will be incurred by our clubs."
McLeish draws a significant number of his Scotland squad and first-choice line-up from Glasgow's biggest two teams, players such as captain Barry Ferguson, Lee McCulloch, David Weir, Paul Hartley, Alan Hutton, Kris Boyd and Stephen McManus.
24 October 2007
Dundee United's Barry Robson fears it is only a matter of time before a big club moves in for Tangerines boss Craig Levein.
Levein will mark 12 months in his job at Tannadice next week and has already dragged the team he inherited sitting bottom of the SPL table to fourth in the league, having recorded their best start to a season since 1993.
United, who host Rangers on Sunday, have battled with relegation more often than not over the last decade but look almost certain to finally break into the top six - if not the top four - this season.
The Tangerines' remarkable turnaround has ensured Levein's stock has steadily risen, so the former Hearts and Leicester manager, who led the Jambos to third place in 2003, is likely to be shortlisted for future vacancies around the country.
He was considered for the Scotland position following Walter Smith's departure to Rangers but, even though he missed out on that occasion, Robson is worried bigger clubs will start circling.
He said: "The manager has been here for nearly a year now and we've improved steadily all the time. I knew the minute he walked in the door that he was excellent and he has proved it over the last 12 months. He is very shrewd tactically, has got us organised and has improved every player. He commands respect because he has done it all in the game as a player. It's going to be difficult to keep him at Tannadice because I wouldn't be surprised if a bigger club tried to take him away. Hopefully that won't happen because we love working with him but the fact he has done so well won't be going unnoticed. He was linked with the Scotland job and that wasn't a surprise because of how good he is. We want to hang onto him but it wouldn't be a shock if someone big came calling."
Levein is renowned for pushing his players hard and will not allow standards to slip.
Robson was on the receiving end of a blast during the recent game with Falkirk but insists his manager's will to win is one of his biggest strengths.
He added: "We had a bit of a fall-out during one of the games but it was nothing. It doesn't matter who you are, what you are or where you are with the manager - if he has got something to say he will just say it. I think he would even go through the chairman! I've got great respect for him and get on great for him. He's a winner and so am I and so are the rest of the lads so we all work well together. He works on little things and in the end it adds up to a lot. He has improved me because he is so thorough, we watch videos of how we play and after it he goes over what I could have done better and also what I did well. It's all very positive and he does that for every player so I think all the lads would agree that they have improved."
Robson added: "He has got a really good eye for a player and has made some great signings for basically nothing, guys like Morgaro Gomis and Prince (Buaben) as well as the Irish boys so everything is going really well at the club."
Goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska has learned that his metatarsal injury is almost healed and will begin to increase his workload over the next few weeks.
23 October 2007
Rangers boss Walter Smith believes that if his side go into tonight's Champions league tie against Barcelona looking for a draw, they'll lose.
Rangers have enjoyed a bountiful return to the Champions League, getting maximum points from their first two games against Lyon and Stuttgart.
Scottish football and groups of death seem so intrinsically linked of late that it's little wonder that Barcelona completes the Group E line-up.
In form Rangers now face the Spanish giants at Ibrox, and although a draw would inch Walter Smith's side closer to qualification to the knockout stages, he feels that looking for a draw would be the wrong option.
"We don't go into it looking for a draw, I think that would be a dangerous thing with Barcelona," Smith told Sky Sports.
"It would imply that, in many ways, that you would have to do the majority of the defending and hope you get the draw. I don't think that should be the case against them because if we do that we will lose the game."
If Rangers are to do the unexpected, they'll have to do it Jean-Claude Darcheville and Brahim Hemdani for the fixture, and Smith accepts the duo will be missed.
The Gers boss added: "Both players have acquitted themselves really well in the games they've played so far in the Champions League. So it's a little blow that we've lost them as one or two of the players we are bringing in don't have that range of experience."
