Zenit St Petersburg 2 Rangers 0 By Ronnie Esplin, PA Sport RANGERS’ exacting season on the European front came to an end when they succumbed to Zenit St Petersburg in an enthralling UEFA Cup final at the City of Manchester Stadium. The Ibrox club had waited 36 years since their last European triumph, a European Cup Winners’ Cup final win over Moscow Dynamo in Barcelona. However, this time it was a match too far for the Light Blues who found their cash-rich Russian opponents simply that bit better on the night.
Beaten Rangers boss sets sights on League crown SMITH'S TREBLE CHANCE WALTER SMITH expressed pride in his Rangers players but also bitter disappointment after Zenit St Petersburg ended their dreams of European glory. Igor Denisov and Konstantin Zyrianov secured a deserved 2-0 victory for the Russian side to win the UEFA Cup final and with it crushed Rangers' hopes of four trophies.
HOOPY WITH THE POINTS Scorers: CELTIC: McManus, McDonald By Ronnie Esplin CELTIC manager Gordon Strachan praised his players for their part in an entertaining encounter against Hibernian at Parkhead - then claimed only the three points mattered. The Clydesdale Bank Premier League champions struggled at times to contain an enthusiastic visiting side but goals by skipper Stephen McManus and Scott McDonald, his 31st of the season, handed the Hoops a 2-0 win and re-established their four-point lead over Rangers at the top of the table.
CRAIG: LEV IT OUT, REF Scorers: RANGERS: Novo (2), Darcheville DUNDEE UNITED: De Vries By Kenny MacDonald RANGERS kept the pressure on at the top of the SPL — but yet again it was a referee who stole the headlines for the wrong reasons! Celtic have had the benefit of controversial officiating in the past few weeks — yesterday it was Rangers’ turn to take advantage of what looked like howlers by whistler Mike McCurry and his bungling assistants.
WE’RE WELL READY FOR EUROPE Scorers: MOTHERWELL: D Smith, Porter ABERDEEN: Aluko By Ewing Grahame THEY say that lightning doesn’t strike twice but Motherwell gaffer Mark McGhee isn’t so sure. Yesterday he had to dive for cover into the dug-out as he did a post-match television interview and lightning bolts struck both the pitch and the main stand. Chris Porter, below, notched his 17th goal of the season with just nine minutes left to clinch victory.
SAINTS HIT SNOOZE BUTTON By Barry Johnston GUS MacPHERSON blasted sloppy St Mirren after relegated Gretna battled their way to a deserved draw at Love Street. Saints — the top flight’s lowest scorers so far this season — turned in yet another display of simply woeful finishing and got their just reward in the end. Argentine Franco Miranda botched a terrific chance to open the scoring midway through the first period as he blasted over with only goalkeeper Greg Fleming to beat.
BAIRNS ARE KIDS IN Scorers: FALKIRK: Higdon, Finnigan INVERNESS: Wilson (p) By Roddy Mackenzie FALKIRK skipper Darren Barr insists his side will soon be challenging for honours if they can hold on to their best young players. Goals from Michael Higdon, below, and Carl Finnigan secured the Bairns’ first back-to-back wins since January and put them on course to finish top of the SPL’s bottom six, despite Barry Wilson’s last-gasp penalty. But Barr is confident they will be shooting for bigger prizes in the not too distant future.
JEFF’S A JINX FOR HEARTS Scorers: KILMARNOCK: Murray, Di Giacomo By Colin Brown JIM JEFFERIES must wish he could play Hearts every week. In a desperately disappointing season for the Kilmarnock gaffer, the Jambos are the only Premier League side who have failed to beat his injury-ravaged team. Jefferies secured a first away win since last September against his old club and he is hoping that has set the tone for next season.
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HEART-BREAKER Scorers: FALKIRK: Scobbie, Finnigan HEARTS: Cesnauskis HEARTS caretaker boss Stevie Frail admitted Falkirk “wanted” the win more than the Gorgie side as they slipped to their first defeat in eight matches. Goals from Tam Scobbie and Carl Finnigan either side of the break ensured Frail’s outfit missed out on the opportunity to seal seventh spot. And, although substituted Deividas Cesnauskis pulled a goal back late on, the Tynecastle head coach confessed his team had allowed their standards to slip after back-to-back wins.
WALTER Smith yesterday recalled his "delightful" discovery of the private side to Tommy Burns which makes the loss of his former rival, assistant manager and ultimatel
ALAN Freeland has made a few mistakes in his time, as he is the first to admit. As he contemplates his imminent retirement, however, he is more convinced than ever that becomi
MEMORABLE cup finals are often about the very young or the exceedingly old. Partly this is because of sentimental narratives imposed by so many traditionalist media sorts who
WALTER Smith has expressed his confidence that his players possess the mental strength required to overcome their Uefa Cup final defeat and pass what he believes will be the
KIRK Broadfoot was surely overcome by the kind of disappointment that distorts judgment when he claimed that Rangers had played more accomplished teams than Zenit St Petersbur
THE passing of Tommy Burns has seen all of Scottish football mourn the loss of a respected and popular individual, and among those who will say goodbye to a fond friend are
MANCHESTER City will play in the Uefa Cup next season. The Premier League has confirmed City have held off the challenge of Fulham to finish sixth in the English Fair Play tab
As the tributes continue to pour in for Tommy Burns from the great and good of Scottish football and beyond, here is a selection of the kind words left by readers on scotsman.
STEVEN Davis insists he has been playing so many games with Rangers that he has not even had time to consider whether he might stay at Ibrox, writes Lisa Gray.
IN LOSING the Uefa Cup final to Zenit St Petersburg the other night, Walter Smith would not discover anything about his team that he did not already know. This awareness would
WHEN I walked through the front entrance of Celtic Park for the first time in October 1995, there was already little doubt in my mind that I was going to sign for the club. I
COUNTLESS thousands of Celtic supporters have dreamed of playing for their club or of taking charge as manager. Tommy Burns was one of a very select few who was able to turn t
THE scale of respect in which Tommy Burns was held was demonstrated when the Prime Minister and the First Minister were among those who paid tribute to the Celtic legend yes
AS WELL as coveting the glory of FA Cup winners' medals, the three Scots preparing to figure in Cardiff's plans against Portsmouth at Wembley tomorrow – Gavin Rae, Kev
Yesterday, Walter Smith gave a tribute to Tommy Burns that encapsulated the warmth of spirit and depth of dedication that characterised the former Celtic manager.
After a forlorn UEFA Cup final, Rangers arrive at the final frontier. Today marks the beginning of an unprecedentedly chaotic climax to the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.
As the title
race enters the closing stages,
it is worth remembering that Motherwell have already recorded the most significant achievement in this most turbulent of seasons.
As host professional
at Spey Valley
of this week?s Northern Open and a committee member of the Scottish PGA, life has fairly turned around for Alan Tait, the one-time revolutionary.
Kenny Logan, the former Scotland internationalist, said yesterday that if Ian McGeechan can?t revive the British and Irish Lions?s fortunes, there have to be questions marks over their future.
On the eve of an FA Cup final featuring the unlikely lads of Portsmouth and Cardiff City, it is not Robbie Fowler?s creaking hip that is causing the nation a flutter of anxiety, but the self-obsessed pontificating of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Hugh MacDonald on Saturday: Hiya, Chuck.
The greeting in a
Manchester sandwich bar was directed at my mate. ?His name is Charles or, if you insist, Chick, madam,? I replied sniffily. She laughed heartily.
Scenes in Central London yesterday bordered on farce as Dwain Chambers kept changing direction and walked up the middle of a street in an attempt to evade journalists, while pleading with his solicitor to help him duck awkward questions.
Chris Doak made it three Tartan Tour order-of-merit
wins in a row yesterday when he finished with an equal best-of-the-week six-under-par 66 over the new Spey Valley course yesterday to claim the Northern Open crown for the second time.
Nobody could ever have under-rated Tommy Burns as a human being. His decency was his badge of honour. However, in terms of his standing as a player and manager, Tommy may well have been short-changed.
