BIZARRE is the best word to describe the scene in the Blue Room at Ibrox yesterday when goalkeeper Lionel Charbonnier, with his lawyer on one side and his wife and baby on the other, read out a statement berating the Scottish press for carrying a story which had been translated from an article in the French magazine Onze Mondial.
Manager Dick Advocaat was also part of this peculiar mix of a top table, on the grounds that Charbonnier insisted that he and the coach had gone through the article and failed to find the words of criticism which had been reported of the club, the players and the manager.
While baby Alexandria, sucking a dummy, nestled in the arms of mum Anna, Lionel, who is injured and at the moment a non-contender for the goalkeeping spot, faced his presumed betrayers.
''You have upset me. I never spoke badly about the Rangers family, the players or the man-ager.'' he intoned. ''The players have told me that I have nothing to prove. They say they know what I have done for them and that I am always one of them.
''I spoke to the editor of the magazine and he was annoyed when he read what you said about me and how you changed what I said.''
The article concerned was sent to Scottish papers by a freelance journalist whose translation of the piece was assumed to be accurate. The whole affair has echoes of the Basile Boli episode, when a similar misinterpretation was cited as the reason for a much more virile attack on Rangers and their training methods some years ago.
''I am happy to be a Rangers player,'' was part of the the goalkeeper's declaration, which was in the form of a diatribe aimed at the gathered scribblers . . . ''I am not having a conversation with you.''
More immediately, Advocaat, who made no attempt to join in the debate, will be without Gabriel Amato, injured in the 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on Thursday, for tomorrow's home
meeting with Dundee, as well as the suspended Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
In place will be Craig Moore, whose command of the central defence alongside fellow Australian Tony Vidmar, was a
feature of a sound Ibrox display.
Moore has fully justified the faith placed in him by Advocaat, who was the subject of much
criticism when he made it clear that he preferred Moore to Scotland internationalist Colin Hendry.
''I was sure that Moore had improvement in him and he was 23, while Colin was in his
thirties,'' explained the manager.
''He still makes mistakes, however, as he did earlier this season. But you have not only to point out to players that they make
mistakes but you have to show them how to avoid them in the future.
''He picked that up and he is playing excellently.''
Meanwhile, Craig Ireland, who is on loan from Dunfermline to Dundee, has made it clear he would like to stay at Dens Park, but if that doesn't work out he is desperate to go out on a high at Ibrox.
Manager Jocky Scott, who brought in the 23-year-old because of a defensive crisis
earlier this month, is still involved in moves to make the player a permanent fixture.
He has bid #50,000 for the player, but if no deal is done then Ireland will return to East End Park immediately after the
meeting with Rangers.
''I hope something will be
sorted out, because I would like
to stay with Dundee.'' said
Ireland, ''We have managed two wins since I came here and the other game - against Motherwell last week - could really have gone either way.
''It was difficult for me at first when Dundee brought me here when they had so many other defenders out of action - but only because I had to learn quickly to form a partnership with Steven Tweed and then Barry Smith.
''I had spent most of the season on the bench with Dunfermline, but I never doubted my ability to do a job, even though I was
moving up a division.
''I knew I had done a job in the Premier League last season and I felt I could again.''
However, Ireland knows Dundee will face the biggest test of his month's deal when they go to Ibrox.
He says: ''We will need to defend well if we want to get
anything from this game and
that means keeping our discipline at the back.
''The Rangers strikers are brilliant at pulling defenders all over the place, and that means we have to keep our shape if we are going to have any hopes of being
successful.
''I know Dundee did very well against Rangers when they came to Dens earlier this season and that has to give the players who were involved that day,a bit of confidence this time.''
Rangers hit two late goals to win 3-2 that day, prompting Ireland to add: ''Hopefully, the fact that Dundee were close to winning then will help us to be positive, because it is important that you don't just sit in at Ibrox. A victory isn't out of the question if we have the right approach.''
Having praised the Rangers front players, Ireland believes an even bigger threat to Dundee's hopes could come from German midfielder Jorg Albertz. He says: ''For me he is the one who really stands out.
''He has been phenomenal this season and, as far as I am concerned, he has been the best
player in Scotland this season because he has so many strengths to his game.''
Dens manager Scott is again without long-term casualties Lee Maddison, Robbie Raeside and Willie Miller, and his problems are increased by the absence of strikers Willie Falconer and Nicky Banger through injury and suspension.
The Dens Park manager is well aware that there is a vast gulf between the resources even when he has all his players available. He says: ''I watched Rangers on television last night and the difference was obvious.
''Rangers used three substitutes against Borussia Dortmund - a Finnish internationalist, a Scottish internationalist and a Russian internationalist. They have just about two full teams of international players and we don't come close to matching that.
''But we gave a very good account of ourselves when they were here earlier in the season and we pushed them all the way. My players have got to remember that and try to be positive.''
BOOKIES' VIEW: Rangers 1-6, Dundee 14-1, draw
5-1.
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