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ARCHIE CAMPBELL has recently watched on as Gers teammate John Fleck forced his way in to Walter Smith's first-team plans and the young striker hopes to follow in his friend's footsteps in the not too distant future. Archie CampbellCampbell has been in electric form for Billy Kirkwood's under-19s this season, scoring 13 goals in 16 starts, and his ability to hit the net has kept his side in the chase for another domestic double. The Fife-born hitman joined Rangers at the tender age of 14 and came through the ranks with Fleck at club and international level. The pair featured for Scotland's U16s in the Victory Shield and were being touted as two of the most promising players in the country at that time. While Fleck has shot to stardom in 2009 Campbell has been continuing his development with the 19s and doing his best to impress so that he can take the next step in his blossoming career. At 17 he has plenty of time on his side but Archie admits he would love to be one of the next players from the under-19 squad to be drafted in to the top-team. He said: "I think the young players at the club have really been given a chance by the manager recently which is great. "Flecky, of course, has been brilliant but we have also seen the likes of Danny Wilson and Jamie Ness on the bench and they are only 17. "I am roughly the same age as them so hopefully if I can keep scoring goals I might get a chance in the future. "We will wait and see what happens but I think there is a big opportunity for all the players right now. Archie Campbell "Flecky has shown what can be achieved if you work hard, show the right attitude and impress the coaches here." Archie's pace and ability to find the net made him a stand-out as he progressed through the ranks at Murray Park. These attributes have again been evident in 2008/09 and he bagged a double against Hamilton Accies on Saturday to add to his impressive tally this season. He said: "I have been pleased with the way I have played this season and hopefully I am improving all the time. "I have managed to get a few goals and still have another year wit the 19s so I am happy with that but I know I need to keep working hard on every part of my game. "Right now I am trying to get stronger by working in the gym with the physios and this will help me a lot on the pitch." Rangers will take on Inverness Caley Thistle in the semi-final stage of the SFA Youth Cup on March 29 after the Highland Jags beat Old Firm rivals Celtic in a dramatic penalty shoot-out at the Tulloch Stadium. The tie will give the Murray Park starlets another chance to run out at Ibrox Stadium and Archie is not surprised to be facing Caley for a place in the final. He said: "I think most people thought that would be up against Celtic but I knew it was going to be a tough game for them. Archie Campbell"Caley made it difficult for us earlier in the season and I am sure they will do that again when they come to Glasgow later in the month. "But we are at home and the holders of the Cup so we will be confident going in to it and have a good chance of going through. "It's great the game is at Ibrox and we all want to get to the final at Hampden. Hopefully we can do that." The 19s have now extended their lead at the top of the league to four points after closest rivals Hibs drew with Celtic and Rangers romped to a 4-0 win over Hamilton on Sunday. Despite having a young squad Archie is confident his team have the quality and character to win the title again this season. He added: "The team have done great so far but we have to keep it going. "We still have a lot of big games coming up and need to have the right attitude going in to every one. "We are a young group of players but we are confident going in to every game and always think we can get three points." The 19s next match is against Dundee United on Saturday at Thomson Park, Dundee, kick-off 1pm.

"Walter Smith admits supporters had every right to vent their fury after watching Rangers knocked off top spot in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. A last-minute penalty converted by Ian Black saw Inverness claim a shock win at Ibrox to move off the bottom of the table, while Celtic returned to the summit with a victory at Kilmarnock. Fans grew increasingly frustrated throughout the game and the Rangers players left the pitch to jeers at the end after allowing their arch-rivals to move into pole position once again. Smith said: "Sometimes it's hard to play here, sometimes the crowd are hard to please. "But, when you are going for a championship and play the way we played in the first half, the crowd have a right to express their displeasure." ---------------------- "Sometimes the crowd are hard to please" says it all for me, we were playing the bottom of the league trying to stay on top of the SPL going for our first title in 4 years ffs, doesn't our manager have any standards

WALTER SMITH has expressed his disappointment and frustration after Rangers dropped three points against Inverness Caley Thistle at Ibrox tonight. Madjid BougherraThe Gers' gaffer watched on as his side dominated possession throughout the 90 minutes but failed to create clear cut chances in front of Ryan Esson's goal. And The Light Blues were made to pay in last minute of injury time when Ian Black slotted home his penalty kick after David Weir was sent off for a foul on David Proctor. Smith said: "It's frustrating in the sense that we did not reach the level of play we have in the majority of our games this season. "We never played well in the first-half but came in to it in the second and had a lot of possession without really testing Caley's keeper. "We faced a difficult match on Saturday at Hamilton and got a good result there which makes tonight's result even more disappointing. "We have not dropped a lot of points at home this season but we now need to focus on our game against Hamilton on Sunday." Mo Edu in action against Inverness With Celtic winning 2-1 at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock, Rangers are now three points behind their great rivals in the title race but the only concern for Smith after the final whistle was his team's below par display against the Highland Jags. He added: "I don't think we can consider anything apart from our own game and the way we performed. "We didn't reach a high level and can have no complaint about the penalty decision."

SPANISH kid Aaron Niguez wants to play a part in the title run-in as he hopes to deliver silverware for the Ibrox club. The 19-year-old has only made three substitute appearances for Walter Smith's side since joining on a two-year load deal from the La Liga outfit, Valencia. In his last outing, the little attacker scored his first goal for the club in a 4-0 victory over Forfar in the Scottish Cup, and he is now looking to play his part as his team-mates attempt to close in on all three domestic trophies. He said: "I am very settled in Scotland and even happier now that I have played for the first-team and scored a goal against Forfar. advertisement "That, of course, was very special for me, one of the best moments in my life. "When I went out on to the pitch that night, I listened and could hear the fans shouting my name, that made me very happy. It was a great feeling to score as you could see from my celebration. I knew I would get a yellow card for taking my top off but I was so excited. "The goal was for my family back home and for the fans who have been so kind to me and made the move to Rangers so special. I love being at this club and, hopefully, I can now stay in the manager's plans and help my team-mates who have also been great." Aaron admits it has taken him some time to get up to speed with the Scottish game but feels is his ready to play a part in the coming weeks. Speaking in the Rangers News, he said: "The game here is very fast and different from Spain. "However, I have now been here six months, and when I am on the bench I watch the game so that I know what to expect if I go on. "I am an attacking player, and when I play I always try to create chances for my team-mates. That is what the manager asks of me but I am also aware of my defensive duties."

According to the Record at least... http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/rangers/2009/03/03/new-contract-joy-for-rangers-starlet-rory-loy-86908-21167531/ Good stuff...

Competition/Book Details here - http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/327011336?-11344 Excellent Book Review by CammyF here - http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/327011337?-11344 Buy Book via our friends at Birlinn Books here - http://birlinn.co.uk/book/details/Silver-Smith-9781841587530/ Thanks for Birlinn for their continued superb support of Gersnet! PM me your answer before the end of the month to be in a with a chance of winning one of five copies of this book! Just tell us in what year did Walter Smith first become Rangers manager?

WALTER SMITH was delighted with Rangers' commitment and work-rate throughout the 1-0 win over Hamilton Accies. But the gaffer admits his players made it difficult for themselves by squandering several goalscoring opportunities. Barry Ferguson's goal on 35 minutes was thoroughly deserved but the men in blue could not add to their advantage which made it a nervy finish at New Douglas Park. Kirk Broadfoot and Steve Davis in the thick of the actionDespite Hamilton's excellent home record Rangers dominated this fixture and Smith was beaming from ear to ear after the final whistle. He said: "I think this was always going to be a difficult game but I was delighted with the way we set out. We started the game very well. "It's never easy to come here and get a win but we did that although our final pass could have been better at times. "When you let chances pass you are always a bit concerned in the latter stages but overall I thought we were excellent." With Pedro Mendes missing with a thigh strain Smith handed Mo Edu his second league start and the American was impressive alongside Fergie in midfield. He said: "I thought Maurice did very well. New Douglas Park is a difficult place to come to but I thought he was terrific. "I did say to him when he arrived in Scotland that it might take him time to settle. Mo Edu "He is still young and only had one season in the MLS. "But I think he has the potential to be an exceptional midfielder and he will be learning all the time from our midfielders at the club. "When you look at Barry, Pedro and Steven Davis they have been excellent this season and it was good to see Barry score. "He took his goal well and I thought today he had his best game for us since coming back in to the team. "But I am happy with the way we are playing in general right now and we have settled down after being a bit inconsistent earlier in the season. "We will now look forward to our game against Inverness. "Pedro is likely to miss this one but I hope he will be back next weekend."

Andrew Dickson reports from New Douglas Park RANGERS manager Walter Smith has made two changes to his team for this afternoon's crucial SPL clash with Hamilton Accies. Following the news we brought you earlier today which revealed Pedro Mendes is out, Mo Edu comes in to take his place in central midfield alongside Barry Ferguson. Kyle Lafferty also starts and he replaces John Fleck on the left side of midfield, with Steven Davis taking up his usual place on the right flank. It's the usual back five with Allan McGregor in goals and a defensive line of Kirk Broadfoot, David Weir, Madjid Bougherra and Sasa Papac. Following their three-goal show against Kilmarnock seven days ago, it's no surprise that Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd are retained up front. Boyd in particular will be keen to find the net again today, having already done so against Hamilton on six occasions this term. DaMarcus Beasley is amongst the substitutes and returns to the squad after he had to come off against Forfar 10 days ago. With Gers kicking off at 12.30pm, this is a great opportunity for them to increase their lead at the top of the SPL before Celtic play St Mirren at 3pm. The Light Blues have a 100% record in three games with Billy Reid's Accies this season but will be wary after initially falling behind in two of them. RANGERS: McGregor; Broadfoot, Weir, Bougherra, Papac; Davis, Edu, Ferguson, Lafferty; Miller, Boyd. Subs: Alexander, Aaron, Beasley, Fleck, Dailly, Naismith, Whittaker

I'm not the biggest fan of walter smith, but ffs can fans on here not just back the manager instead of every opportunity slate him, i was reading the the transfer threads post and it went from a transfer rumour about james mcarthur and alex smithies to getting rid of smith ffs its a joke. Were at a critical part of the season and we all need to be 110% behind the team and the manager. Were back where we belong to the top of the league lets get behind the team and manager and roar them on to the championship instead of putting them down all the time!

by Lindsay Herron RANGERS have been hit with a pre-match blow ahead of the lunchtime clash at Hamilton with the news that Pedro Mendes will miss out. The Portuguese playmaker is suffering from a slight thigh strain and it's enough for him to sit out the match at New Douglas Park. Mendes had been troubled with a knock in the build-up to last week's Kilmarnock match but produced a terrific performance. He will miss out today but the Murray Park medical team think he will be OK for Wednesday's match against Inverness Caley Thistle. The loss of Mendes will cause some disruption for Walter Smith. He may decide to bring Steve Davis into a more central role and use a more attacking player on the right side or he could bring in Maurice Edu to partner Barry Ferguson. We will have the full team news from New Douglas Park fastest and first right here.

KYLE LAFFERTY believes that the current Rangers squad have the confidence to carry on their title charge between now and the end of the season. Kyle LaffertyAs his side prepare to face Hamilton at New Douglas Park the Northern Ireland striker says the turn around in fortunes in 2009 has given them renewed belief. Since falling seven points behind Celtic after defeat in the final Old Firm game of 2008, Walter Smith's side have overhauled that deficit to return to the top of the SPL on goal difference. And Lafferty insists that they have what it takes to maintain that run and bring the league trophy back to Ibrox. He said: "I think a lot of people wrote us off when Celtic went seven points clear but there was still a lot of belief in the squad and in the coaching staff and that's still the case. "Everyone's confident that if we keep going the way we are we will win the title. "Celtic will feel they can win it and we believe we can win it. So it's up to us to go about things in the right way - if we do that I think we will win it. Kyle Lafferty"We're happy because I think over the last two months we've been playing some really good football and Celtic have dropped some points when we were picking up them up. "But there are still a lot of games to go and we can't get too carried away. We have to keep trying to go about things and looking to pick up points where we can until the end of the season." Tomorrow's meeting with Billy Reid's side will Rangers' fourth of the season and despite bagging twelve goals in the previous three matches between the sides the Gers have experienced their troubles against the SPL new boys. Hamilton have twice taken the lead before Rangers turned the games round and Lafferty expects a similarly tough encounter in a game that kicks of a run of important matches for his side. He added: "Hamilton are a good side and they caused us a few problems before and the next four weeks will be a difficult spell. "It will be interesting to see how we come out at the end and if we get maximum points I think we will be looking good."

WALTER SMITH is firmly anticipating a tough encounter when Rangers travel to Hamilton aiming to stay top of the SPL. Rangers are in a position to move three points clear before Celtic kick off at home against St Mirren if they can beat Hamilton in the early start at New Douglas Park. However, Smith is taking nothing for granted. He has been impressed with the way Billy Reid has got things going so well that the Accies are on the verge of the top six. He said; "I think when you look at Hamilton at the start of the season they were in a situation where they had just achieved two very consistent seasons in the First Division. "Kris BoydThey had just missed out on promotion two years ago and then got it last season so they were coming into the Premier League in good shape. "That showed in the early games of the season when they were full of enthusiasm and achieved some good results. "There was a period where they dropped down again but the changes that Billy Reid has made have been significant ones and it has been a terrific bit of management by him. "His changes have been really good ones and he has got them into a position where they looking to push for a top six position which would be a fantastic achievement. "We went one down the last time we went to Hamilton so we know that Saturday lunchtime is a very big date for us. "I have been impressed with a lot of their players - and not just the young ones. I think you have to look at the team overall and they have done very well. "It's their teamwork and togetherness that has got them through and as I said Billy deserves a lot of credit." Rangers are likely to be along similar lines when they make the trip to Lanarkshire as the game will come too soon for injured trio DaMarcus Beasley, Lee McCulloch and Nacho Novo.

WALTER SMITH is hopeful that any findings from a prospective Scottish football think tank are acted upon in a bid to improve things in the game in this country. Ally McCoist and Walter SmithFormer First Minister Henry McLeish will head a panel that is set to review a number of issues in the game including a possible restructure of the league and a winter shutdown. But with experience of a number of similar initiatives Smith believes that the success of any such group is based on its ability to implement its findings. He said: "If we are having another think tank I would like us to act on some of the things we find. We've have three or four already but to me football looks the same as it did before we had those. "So if we are going to do it again and we're going to make improvements through the findings then we should act on them and that's not something that we've done in my years in Scotland. "I don't have a particular element that I'd change but I'd hope it's not another one where we waste everyone's time." Recent suggestions have also seen the prospect of a longer half time break and the introduction of player quotas with a necessity for six home grown players in a team's starting line up. Walter SmithThey are changes that Smith feels would make little difference to the game as it stands. He added: "I don't think quotas would be a great disadvantage now. It may have been a few years ago when we had a fair number of foreign players. "But we have a fair base of Scottish players now so I don't think it would be a major disadvantage. "It would just mean that the country would be under a pressure to keep producing a level of player that would satisfy all the teams. "As for half time I thought we were having 20 minute ones now! As long as they make the 20 minute half time last 20 minutes and not the 10 minute half time that runs to 18 minutes at the moment that's fine. "At 20 I think we would maybe need a warm up before the second half but I think football is fine at the moment so I don't see that it needs to be messed around with to be honest."

Feb 26 2009 By Hugh Keevins ALLY McCOIST will help build a lasting tribute to Davie Cooper on Friday night ... then honour his old pal's memory by continuing the search for the Super Coopers of tomorrow. A debate about the health of Scottish football has raged since Walter Smith and Gordon Strachan attacked the level of criticism aimed at the last Old Firm game. McCoist doesn't deny some of the stick was justified but refuses to believe this country's well of talent has dried up. Along with Celtic coach Neil Lennon, McCoist will tomorrow help with the fund raising for a sensory park for special needs children in Clydebank, the town where Cooper began and ended his playing career. But Rangers' assistant manager refuses to believe the exceptional skills Cooper possessed, and which ultimately took him to Rangers and a place in the national side, have skipped a generation. McCoist said: "I'm a glass half full kind of guy. I'll concede Coop was the last of the breed of players who learned their football in the streets but I won't accept pessimism so far as the future is concerned. "The talent is still out there and Scotland will continue to produce the type of player who makes you feel the anticipation of the crowd whenever he gets on to the ball. "Kids don't play on the streets any more for a variety of reasons but that doesn't mean to say genius no longer exists. "Aiden McGeady has ability to go past people for Celtic. Aaron and John Fleck at Ibrox have it as well. They're the players who produce the stuff the fans go to the pub on a Saturday night and talk about. "The priority for coaches is to make sure the team they work for wins matches. If we don't do that, we don't have a job but football has an obligation to entertain After the Old Firm had been slaughtered for the derby game, I felt we went out against Kilmarnock with a 'Let's show these people' attitude. "Coop was the consummate entertainer. Whether it was the swivel of the hips or the 40-yard pass, he entertained no matter the fixture or the surroundings. "The highest tribute I can pay him is to say I worked many times with Ruud Gullit on TV and he was always raving about Davie and a game he played against him while he was at Feyenoord. "I like the idea of a lasting tribute to Davie in Clydebank because I first became aware of him in 1976 when the Bankies took Rangers to four games in the League Cup before we got rid of them. I won't name names but there were two Rangers full-backs who tried swopping sides of the park during the first of those games because one of them was getting such a chasing from this young kid. "Coop was, first and foremost, a humble man but when people talk about him they don't mention his medals, they talk about his skill." Cooper, who died in 1995, was revered by his team-mates at Ibrox and McCoist smiled as he recalled one occasion when they literally pulled his leg. He said: "It was Coop's testimonial match and we racked our brains over a gift. "Then one of the lads had a brainwave and got the right leg off a tailor's dummy and wrapped it up in brown paper with the message, 'What do you give the man who's got everything ?' "I couldn't put a price on what that left peg of his would be worth in today's transfer market. Beyond price I would say. "I appreciate there's more to the game than goalscorers and I say that as someone who made his name as one. Rangers had three quality finishes on Saturday against Kilmarnock and Pedro Mendes was outstanding with defence-splitting passes. "But fans love the genius of a Coop or a Jinky Johnstone or a Willie Henderson. We need more like them and I know they can still be found." Part of McCoist's remit is to help discover and develop stars of the future - a job a certain ex-colleague would never have expected him to take. He said: "I can guarantee Coop will be looking down at me shaking his head. The prospect of me in management would have tickled him. "Never a day goes by that I don't think about him and Tommy Burns. You might go from the Old Firm to work elsewhere but in your heart and mind you never leave Rangers or Celtic. "Stefan Klos once told me it was what distinguished the Old Firm from German clubs. "That's why Davie will be on my mind when I pay tribute to him in Clydebank on Friday night. He had that magic ingredient and others will come to show they have it too." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/rangers/2009/02/26/exclusive-duty-is-on-us-to-find-the-new-generation-of-davie-coopers-insists-ally-mccoist-86908-21153912/

Rangers manager Walter Smith admits he did not expect to overhaul Celtic's lead in the Scottish Premier League. More...

Walter Smith as Manager for Next Season ?? For me No - the teams needs fresh ideas and tactics , i think we have a potenially good squad and a new manger might get the best from them.

WALTER SMITH believes there is more to come from his group of young stars as Rangers work towards the end of a huge season. Aaron celebratesThe Rangers boss saw young Spaniard Aaron Niguez notch his first goal for the club in Forfar in Wednesday night and feels the under-21 international will continue to be involved in the business end of the season. After signing on a two year loan deal from Valencia in the summer Aaron has been a regular in Tommy Wilson's reserve side but has seen his first team chances restricted. However Smith now sees the winger emerging from a period of settling in Glasgow and hopes he can make a similar impact to Murray Park starlet John Fleck. He said: "I don't think we've held Aaron back. He's like a lot of the younger players that we've had come in this year. "From the start of the season they have all found that they have a settling in period to work through before they can show their best. John Fleck and Andreas Hinkel"Aaron has - in the last month or so - been doing very well, but unfortunately for him that coincided with John Fleck coming in to the team and playing well in the same position. "But he has been doing well and he has shown when he comes on that he's very bright - and he's an entirely different kind of player from John. "So I would hope that we will start to get him featuring in quite a number of games between now and the end of the season."

Rangers manager Walter Smith says the chance to leapfrog Celtic and move top of the SPL will not prove decisive in the title race. More...

I'm not sure what the general opinion on here is but agree with a lot that the above says. It seems clear Coisty is being groomed for the next managers job. Will his love and passion for the club prove to be enough though?

I like to play poker. Not for bags of money, just a couple of quid. But wether your a high roller or just playing for small change the principles are just the same. Im no superstar either. I can though read a game and see whats going on and generally can tell when the best time to put my chips in. Ill wait till i get a good hand or identify when my opponent is weak and use that to my advantage. But if i dont do anything one thing will happen. My chips will slowly dwindle as the blinds go round the table and go up as time goes on and ill be left with nothing. Basically if you dont put my chips in the pot you wont win. You have to at some point take a chance. you have to bully your opponents on the table and let them know whos boss. Yesterday was the Ideal time for Walter Smith throw his chips into the pot and show his hand to our bitter rivals on the other side of the city. It was time to show them whos boss, to up the stakes and let thm know we meant business. Our bitter rivals have been showing weakness for quite some time now and we should have been taking advantage of the situation. But we didnt. Instead we opted to half the pot when we did in fact hold the better cards. We were weak when we should have been strong. and let our opponents live to play another hand into the bargain. and that is a dangerous game to play. you wont get the oppertunity to dispose of you oponents all that often so when the opertunity arrives you have to take it with both hands. Walter Smith is playing a very dangerous game. his over causiousness borders on gutless when we should be stepping up to the plate and stating our intent. He opts for saftey when we should be showing tact and guile leaving a side void of skill and imagination. But the real price is being paid by the players and you have ask what effect Walters negative tactics have on them. When you ask a player to continually play in the defensive mode that Smith so much desires for so long it must surely affect his ability and style in the long term. Basically I believe Smith is draining the life out of our players. guy like Whittaker, Beadsley, McCulloch etc came and were pretty decent players who looked to be good prospects but over time their form has deteriorated to nothing. Even ferguson seems to be suffering too. There are just far too many off form player at Ibrox at the minute and for me it is no coincidence. you dont get so many players turning bad for no reason. I blame Smith and his negativety. nobody shines in our team anymore. There are no standouts. nobody catches the eye. nobody flourishes. What future lies for the likes of fleck in Walters tacticle nightmare? If our first team players are being dragged into the myre by our manger what chance in hell do our kids have? How are they going to expand their game and realise their potential in the current setup? The truth is they wont, and that is the most worring thing of all.

Rangers manager Walter Smith says forward Kenny Miller had a strong case for a penalty during the 0-0 draw at Celtic Park. More...

Kris Boyd urges manager Walter Smith to give him the chance to fire Rangers to Old Firm derby victory on Sunday. More...

By Andrew Dickson KYLE LAFFERTY has told Walter Smith he's ready to lead Rangers' attack in tomorrow's Old Firm derby with Celtic. The Northern Ireland hitman is being tipped by many to make his first derby start at Parkhead, either as a lone striker or as one of two players up front. Kyle LaffertyLafferty has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes in recent weeks, scoring three times off the bench in his last five competitive appearances for the Light Blues. In his last outing against Dundee United, his introduction changed the game and he looked really comfortable in the front line. Now he could be handed a starting berth there against Gordon Strachan's team and insists he's primed for action. Lafferty, 20, said: "It would be nice to be in the team. It's a big game for the club and if we win we'll go top of the league so it would be great to be involved. "I just want to play football but if the gaffer throws me on up front, I'll be delighted with that because that's my position and I want to play there. "I felt I did pretty well there in the last game with United and I got a goal as well which was good. "Everyone probably sees from the way I play that I'm much happier when I'm used as a striker and I want to prove myself in that part of the pitch. "Whether I'm there myself or with someone else, I'll do what's asked of me and I don't mind what job I'm given."

WALTER SMITH admits Rangers might have to play even better than they did the last time they went to Parkhead if they are to win there this weekend. The Light Blues' 4-2 success against Celtic on their own patch nearly six months ago was their biggest derby victory there in 14 years. It was one of their best Old Firm performances in recent times too, with their second-half showing in particular drawing praise. But with Gordon Strachan's team two points clear of Gers in the SPL, Smith realises his men will have to excel again when they return to Glasgow's east end on Sunday. He also understands how crucial winning could be with regards to the final outcome of the title race - although he wouldn't be too upset with a draw. Smith said: "It would be a huge result for us if we won. We have managed to win at Celtic Park already this season and they have beaten us at Ibrox. "It would be nice to back to their place and win again but we will have to turn in a similar performance to the one we gave there in August. "In fact, we might have to play even better than we did that day and as the season goes on, our head-to-head meetings are becoming more important. "I don't think a draw would be a bad result for either team this weekend. It would leave us as we are at the present moment. "With one win each so far and some points lost to other teams, there isn't a lot between the sides." Celtic are the bookmakers' favourites ahead of the match, despite Rangers being the form team out of the two.Walter Smith Whatever way you lean, Smith is adamant past form and even performances on the day don't count for much when Scotland's biggest sides collide. He points to the last two derbies as proof, with the first being fairly close despite the final score and the second ending in a 1-0 Celtic win after Gers had dominated for long spells. Smith added: "When we were 4-1 up, I wouldn't say it was an indication of how the game had been going. "It was far tighter than that. We were delighted with the lead we had but the match had been a lot closer than the score suggested. "In the game at Ibrox, we played as well as we had done in our previous Old Firm games but went on to lose. "That just shows you need to be careful when you consider what might happen. They're not easy games to make assessments of. "I'm looking for a performance more than anything else and if we can match how we played in the previous two derbies, I'll be happy as we'll have a chance."

KENNY MILLER is a shock transfer target for newly-crowned Russian champs Rubin Kazan. SunSport can reveal the Rangers striker is being tracked by the club set to make their Champions League debut next season. Now Kazan boss Gurban Berdiyew could swoop for the 29-year-old before the Russian transfer window shuts on March 1. They head a posse of Russian clubs, which also includes Spartak and Lokomotiv Moscow. They are willing to offer �£2million for Miller, who has 18 months left on his deal. Kazan stunned Russia as they swept to a historic first title. Their only real star is Ukrainian legend Serhiy Rebrov and Berdiyew wants to boost his squad before their new season begins on March 14. Ex-Celtic target Stephen Appiah is set to sign for Kazan on Monday after being at their Spanish winter training camp. Scotland star Miller could soon be set to follow. Although our transfer window has closed, Miller WOULD be able to join Kazan before March 1. The club is based in Russiaâ��s Tatarstan Republic and bankrolled by local industry. Ibrox bosses are still keen to offload a high-earner after banks ordered them to tighten their belts. Gers boss Walter Smith is a huge Miller fan but his hands would be tied if a Russian bid was tabled. Itâ��s understood Miller wouldnâ��t be put off by the prospect of moving east and would listen to any offer. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/article2237068.ece