HOPE can be found in adversity provided you look hard enough, and
rather than panic at the prospect of being without key defenders Richard
Gough and David Robertson for tomorrow night's Champions' League match
against Borussia Dortmund at Ibrox, Walter Smith will demand a positive
reaction from the able bodied.
If he has to go into battle without two stalwarts the Rangers manager
is likely to go for broke by instructing his players to launch a
full-scale offensive against the Germans.
There would, as he acknowledged, be little point in asking a team to
be defensively minded if that team's best defenders are unavailable, and
Borussia, who arrive in Glasgow around lunch time today, would relish
the opportunity to test the validity of a second-choice back division.
Players like Andy Moller, Matthias Sammer, Stefan Reuter, and the
wonderfully gifted striker, Ruben Sosa, are serious threats to any side,
even one with a full and able-bodied complement and the Germans, who
lost their opening match at home to Juventus, believe they must now win
away from home to repair the damage caused by the Italians.
Although the Bundesliga side have been in erratic mood their spirits
are lifted by news of Smith's woes.
Also despite the claim of Borussia's coach, Ottmar Hitzfeld, that
Rangers will be better off without Mark Hateley, there should be little
doubt the Germans are pleased they won't be coming up against the
Englishman, who signed yesterday for Queen's Park Rangers.
However, even if he hadn't been transferred, Hateley would have been
unable to play tomorrow night because he still is on the mend after
ankle and knee surgery.
Hateley, who signed on at Ibrox five years ago for #1m, has gone for
the same fee, even though he is now 33, but his new manager and former
Ibrox and England team-mate Ray Wilkins says: ''His experience will be
an enormous help here and our younger forwards can learn from him.
Having him at QPR was something I'd wanted since I became manager.''
Hateley, who signed a two-and-a-half year contract, added: ''I'd
reached the stage at Ibrox where I thought it was coming to an end for
me, and I must always have targets, ambitions, and rewards. The
Premiership has turned into a great stage in the last couple of years
and I'm looking forward to the new challenge of playing in it
immensely.''
As well as the injury problems hampering Gough and Robertson, another
defender, Alan McLaren, is suspended for the match and the manager is
not sure about the fitness of Stuart McCall.
The midfield player has not played in any of the last five games
because of knee ligament trouble, and although he trained yesterday
there can often be a delayed, adverse reaction with such injuries, and
even if McCall reports back fit and well, it might be asking too much of
him to resume in such a crucial match.
Again, though, Smith might have little choice, especially since
McCall's versatility -- he could be used at full back -- might make him
an attractive alternative, but with Ian Ferguson fit again McCall might
have to wait.
The problems at the back are intensified further because the
Australian, Craig Moore, who could step in at full back or midfield,
would leave Smith with only two more slots for foreigners, and it is
certain two of those places will be taken by Gordan Petric and Brian
Laudrup.
The third place will go to either Paul Gascoigne or Oleg Salenko with
the English internationalist favourite.
He and Laudrup were purchased for contests like the one which now
faces Rangers, who lost their first Champions' League game in Bucharest
a fortnight ago, and much will depend on their contributions, which have
been minimal so far.
Gordon Durie, whose goal against Anorthosis Famagusta at Ibrox was
enough to give Rangers a winning edge in the preliminary round, is
likely to partner Ally McCoist up front, but scoring in competitive
European matches has been a problem for Smith's team. In fact, they have
scored only once in their last five games, hardly a strike-rate designed
to put fear into the hearts of opposing defenders.
''We are left poorly in terms of defenders,'' Smith said, ''and if we
are hit with the worst scenario, which would be losing Gough and
Robertson, whose chances of being fit are 50-50, then I would have to do
a lot of reshuffling.
''Even before the Champions' League started I was always aware we
could run into this kind of problem, but I didn't expect I would be
coping with it this early.''
The manager added that while he knows which three foreigners will be
playing, he has no idea of the identities of those who will be deployed
around that trio because of the injury problems. However, he will be
looking at the likes of Alex Cleland, Brian Reid, and Gary Bollan, who
will all have been placed on standby.
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