Rangers 2
Hearts 0
Scorer: Flo (35min, 58).
CRITICISM seems to be the most effective form of encouragement at Ibrox these days. Dick Advocaat had some stern words for Tore Andre Flo after the Norwegian striker's goalmouth malfunction against Dundee last weekend, with the manager demanding atonement in his next outing, but after a less than promising start against Hearts on Saturday, the raft of experts present in the 49,003 crowd were not slow in telling the #12m man how it should be done.
Castigation was not confined to Flo, however. Advocaat
proffered a hitherto unheard argument for a faltering title defence late last week, expressing his disappointment in those highly-paid players he accused of working their Bosman ticket.
That may have made uneasy reading for Sergio Porrini, among others. The Italian defender, signed by Walter Smith for #4m not long after appearing in the Champions League final for Juventus four years ago, has been in cold storage for the majority of his final year in
Glasgow and his persecution complex would doubtless have been compounded by constant barracking from one member of the audience irate at his contribution on the left side of an unfamiliar looking defence.
Flo, meanwhile, didn't so much soldier as stutter and
stumble on, but with his manager's objective ringing in his ears, and the frequent drone of ''Aw, Tore'' providing a heavy bass line, one cock of the head provided some much-needed relief.
His triumphant punch towards the sky was mimicked by the manager, while those fans who only moments earlier had
questioned his credentials roared their approval. All had been forgiven.
Flo doubled his and his team's tally in identical fashion 13
minutes into the second half, although while Billy Dodds was the architect of the opener it was the returning Craig Moore, playing in the right-back role he so despises, whose deep cross was converted this time.
The fickle fans had literally changed their tune and unashamedly lauded the way ''he gets the ball and scores the goals, Tore Andre Flo,'' improvising, as Advocaat has done, in the absence of the original crowd- pleaser, Michael Mols.
Porrini's problem began just seconds before the Norwegian secured another efficient, if unspectacular, victory.
The normally placid Italian flew into a rage after a stream of obscenities were hurled at him from a fan in the main stand and such was the depth of his disgust, the 32-year-old signalled to Advocaat that he had had enough.
In a rare outpouring of emotion, the manager, who had joined Porrini in giving the pseudo-
supporter as good as he got until he was ejected from his seat, threw a protective arm around his player and urged him to channel the anger positively, while his countryman, Lorenzo Amoruso, whispered his own words of
wisdom.
A grimacing Porrini is a fearsome sight indeed and Advocaat put Robert Malcolm on standby just in case he self-destructed. He need not have worried. Despite the difficulty of playing on the wrong side of the pitch, Porrini pounded up the line like a man possessed and, indeed, could have scored twice during a five- minute spell that brought the house down. It was the Porrini of old and how he milked the applause when referee Willie Young called time, racing towards the area where he had been barracked before the
heckler was ejected and accepting the acclaim of those who had been scunnered by the actions of one of their own.
''Everybody has to help each other and that's what I was trying to say to the supporter,'' explained the manager, ''but
Porrini played much better after that!''
Flo's match-winning performance earned high praise from Advocaat, but the man himself revealed that he is still struggling to come to terms with the huge expectation of being the most expensive player in Scottish football history and the physical nature of our game.
Almost apologetic throughout his post-match address, the former Chelsea striker admitted he has to work on his strength to combat the aggressive defenders who have ensured an uneasy introduction to the SPL.
''It is very difficult to live up to a #12m price tag because everybody has been talking about it up here. They don't bother about it so much in England, but it is not my business how much somebody is willing to pay for me,'' he said.
''It is a high price but I still have a lot of things to improve upon. What surprised me was the sharpness and aggression of the defenders when I'm in control and it is something I will have to work on with assistant manager Bert van Lingen.
''I think the fans have been okay towards me, but it has been a difficult time for the club with injuries. What we have to do is concentrate on getting into the Champions League, although there is still a chance of the title, and hopefully with all our players back we will be stronger next season.''
Craig Levein, the Hearts
manager, is also planning ahead for the next campaign after
witnessing some positive early signs from his mini revolution at Tynecastle. Indeed, the visitors controlled the game, with Thomas Flogel and Scott Severin in particularly fine fettle, but the dismissal of Colin Cameron, moments before the interval put paid to any hopes they had of restoring parity after Flo's first goal, which went against the grain of possession.
Cameron was cautioned for a foul that restricted Giovanni van Bronckhorst's comeback from a four-month lay-off to just 23
minutes, with the Dutchman damaging a different part of the groin muscle that had been
operated on.
His replacement, Finnish debutant Janni Kauppila, fared little better, failing to reappear for the restart in a tactical
reshuffle after Cameron was shown to the shower following an unnecessary tackle on Barry
Ferguson.
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