Hendry told to wait as Moore earns plaudits

The former Blackburn Rovers centre half was expected to take his bow against Motherwell today, but when asked about the 32-year-old's chances of involvement in the match, a cryptic Advocaat would only say ''you will have to wait and see.''

More significantly, the Dutchman took the opportunity to publicly applaud squad player Craig Moore's performance against PAOK Salonika in Tuesday's UEFA Cup tie, and it seems that the coach will stick by the Australian international. ''I always tell the players on the day of the game who is playing and who is not - it gives them something to think about the night before,'' he said.

The wily Advocaat added: ''Colin's fitness is okay, but he has not played a game for quite a long time, but, anyway, I was very pleased with the way Moore played and it's important to have people playing well throughout the squad, and not just the first 11 - he showed me what he can do.''

Advocaat also revealed that striker Gordon Durie's ankle has not been broken as a result of the tackle by Salonika defender Triantafillos Mahairidis in midweek. However, the player has damaged ankle ligaments and it is reckoned that he will be out of action for four to six weeks, leaving Advocaat with a shortage of firepower up front, with only Rod Wallace and Jonaton Johansson recognised as goalscorers.

None the less, Rangers re-enter their Premier League campaign with the manager determined to make amends for the opening-day defeat at the hands of Scottish Cup holders Hearts. ''It is a very important game because we need to play together as much as possible to improve ourselves, to learn from each other,'' he said.

''In the past, Motherwell have been a difficult team to play against and, if you look at the results against them last season, we won only one game out of four against them, so we know what we have to do.''

The 3-1 defeat against Hearts was hardly the best way to start a new season, but Advocaat insisted that he had seen a dramatic improvement against the Greeks. ''There were some excellent moments in terms of possession, and PAOK are an excellent team,'' he said.

Gabriel Amato should keep his place in the team after coming on for Durie on Tuesday, although Daniel Prodan is still a few weeks away from making his debut. ''It's getting better,'' was Advocaat's assessment of the Romanian's fitness, ''but there are still a few problems with his knee and he is working at strengthening it before playing, but we have to give him rest or he may get more injuries.''

One man hoping to be involved is midfielder Jorg Albertz, who was surprisingly overlooked for the UEFA match. He did well when he was called from the bench, setting up the second goal for Rod Wallace and hopes to be given the opportunity to impress from the kick off.

''I am hoping to start the game, but everybody wants to start, so it's up to the manager to make his decisions,'' said the amiable German. ''It's a home game for us and I'm not really thinking about Motherwell. I do not care what they do, we have to play well and win our home games.

''We've done well in Europe so far, but now we have to start doing well in the league also.''

Of the loss of Durie, he added: ''It was a terrible tackle and it was a shame because he played well in the World Cup and was on a high - but it opens the door for someone else to come in.''

Motherwell manager Harri Kampman, meanwhile, will be hoping to keep up his 100% record against the Glasgow club and, far from fearing the new-look Rangers, the Finn is convinced 'Well are capable of causing an upset.

''Of course this is a very big match for Motherwell,'' he said, ''and I have to admit that it will be different for my players, simply because they are not used to playing in front of 50,000 fans every week. Rangers have that experience and it makes it difficult to play against them at their own ground. I suppose you could liken Motherwell v Rangers to David and Goliath.

''However, David won and so can we. My squad has a nice blend of youth and experience and everyone is keen to play in front of such a big audience.''

Kampman has urged his players to keep cool in what will be a noisy atmosphere if they are to continue their run of success against the club.

''Good discipline is crucial,'' he added. ''We must keep our shape and stick to our game plan throughout the 90 minutes or else we will suffer. If we do our jobs properly and have the necessary slice of good fortune, then who knows.''

Kampman has almost a full squad to choose from, with Stephen McMillan's leg knock his only slight worry.

Midfielder Simo Valakari admits he is looking forward to the Finnish invasion at Ibrox, with team-mates Mikko Kaven and Kai Nyyssonen, and Rangers' Antti Niemi and Jonaton Johansson all likely to be involved, but is in no doubt that it will be a tough clash.

''Rangers managed a very good result in the UEFA Cup during the week, but we're really looking forward to the match,'' he said.

''We've started the season with two wins and are ready for the challenge. I hope, and expect, it will be an excellent match to play in.''

Meanwhile, Rangers' out-of-favour striker Marco Negri last night denied that Advocaat had, as previously reported, attempted to persuade him to remain at Ibrox.

BOOKIES' VIEW: Rangers 2-5, Motherwell 8-1, draw 3-1.