Impressive Rangers rise to summit

RANGERS 2 - DUNDEE UTD 0 RANGERS have the bit between their teeth in this championship race.

Yesterday's victory over a sedate Dundee United side extended their unbeaten run to eight games and in turn propelled them to the summit of the SPL, a point ahead of Celtic.

The encounter bore resemblance to Walter Smith's first match of his second tenure at Ibrox just under a year ago. Then, his side walloped the same opponents 5-0 to signal the start of a period of rejuvenation after the mishaps under Paul Le Guen. Although Rangers only breached the United rearguard twice yesterday, the performance epitomised how home victories have become standard fare since he returned to the Govan hot seat.

If there was a normality to on-field proceedings then, that could never be true of the build up to the game following the death of Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell after he collapsed on the Fir Park pitch during last Saturday's match with Dundee United. The tragedy consumed life in the country far beyond the football world. On Wednesday the Tannadice club had their request to postpone Wednesday's encounter with Hearts denied by the Scottish Premier League. On Friday, the entire United squad attended O'Donnell's funeral in Hamilton.

Barry Ferguson was one of the countless luminaries of the Scottish game who also attended, and, as a fellow resident of the Lanarkshire town, was personally affected by O'Donnell's passing. Yesterday he added his own poignant tributes to the emotional outpouring witnessed this week. At the request of the O'Donnell family, his captain's armband was marked out with the Motherwell crest and a No.10 in honour of the 35-year-old, whom he spoke warmly of in his programme notes.

"Like me, Phil was a Hamilton lad and because of that, I got to know him well over the years," he said. "Our wives are close. A great player for both Well and Celtic, a loving father and a thoroughly decent bloke, coming to terms with the fact he is gone is so difficult. It was a privilege to be his friend but while we have mourned his loss, he would want each of us to come back from it in the right manner."

With a glancing header at the back post from a diagonal cross launched from the left by Chris Burke in the 37th minute, Ferguson produced a goal that he will consider was that "right manner" to return to football matters. His team's second, it ended as a contest a confrontation that had never risen to such lofty heights following a ninth minute opener from Steven Naismith.

In doubling that advantage, the Scotland captain was one of several blue shirts who rushed the backline to meet Burke's ball in. At least one team-mate strayed into an offside position, prompting assistant Gary Sweeney to raise his flag and referee Mike McCurry, initially, to cut short the home side's celebrations by signalling for a goal kick. McCurry then opted to consult with Sweeney and, after contenting himself that no player in an offside position had been interfering with play, reversed his decision and allowed the strike to stand.

Ferguson pays tribute to friend with armband

BARRY FERGUSON was one of the many in the Scottish football personally affected by the death of Phil O'Donnell, each man hailing from Hamilton and their wives friends. Yesterday, having attended O'Donnell's funeral the previous afternoon, the Rangers captain added his own poignant tributes to the emotional outpouring witnessed this week, as Ibrox remembered the player with a minute's applause.

In beating Hearts 4-1 in midweek while Rangers were inactive because the SPL acceded to Celtic's petition to call off the Old Firm derby, United had appeared able to concentrate on professional concerns in the face of extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Yesterday, however, they appeared drained and with little appetite for the challenge facing them at Ibrox. Perhaps, though, that might have been the perception because Rangers, for as long as they required it to be the case, had a zing about them.

At kick-of a minute's applause for O'Donnell gave way to choruses in praise of Alan Hutton from the home legions after the full-back rejected a move to Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday that would have banked his club in the region of £9m. He cut a confident, assured figure. As did the rest of a home team. Indeed, those on the field seemed to feed off the buoyancy of the Rangers support; a constituency who patently believe that the decision of Hutton to stay – for the rest of the season at least – can be regarded as an omen where the destination of the title is concerned.

Hutton has been an integral performer for the club, though ultimately he might have been worth more as a sold asset, and yesterday he produced several of those mazy forward gallops that make him such an complete modern-day full-back. He probably got bored sitting back when there was nothing for him to do, mind you, with United showing absolutely zilch when it came to attacking enterprise. They didn't show much when it came to stoic defending either and though Burke's arrowed cross in from the right after nine minutes was a curling, teasing and hanging extravaganza, Naismith didn't require to transform into Mr Universe to shrug off left-back Shaun Dillon and plant a header wide of keeper Euan McLean.

After Ferguson made it 2-0, the encounter because desperately tedious. Rangers continued to make chances without exerting themselves, United continued to be there and nothing more constructive and, as a result, the minutes dragged on without any edge or intrigue. It was in keeping with the day as it developed that an 89th minute penalty for a foul on Nacho Novo should be missed by replacement Kris Boyd, McLean diving to his left to block.

Smith's side will care not a jot about the fact they weren't at their best because they weren't extended, as is perfectly right. In part, yesterday was supposed to be about whether they could handle having to make the running in the title chase. They did so at a canter.


At the request of O'Donnell's brother-in-law, Ferguson wore an armband marked out with the Motherwell crest and a No.10 in honour of the 35-year-old, of whom he said in his programme notes that "it was privilege to be his friend".

"Phil's brother-in-law asked me when I was up at Fir Park with Lee McCulloch and Stephen McManus to put flowers down and it was no problem," Ferguson said. "It was sad what happened. I got to know him over the past couple of years and got close to some of the members of his family.

"The armband was just a way of remembering what kind of guy he was, what kind of player he was and the person he was. It is has been a difficult week for the whole of Scottish football and you just have to shut it out and get on with your job."

In the programme, Ferguson spoke of the need for all in football to mourn O'Donnell's loss but also expressed his conviction that the late Motherwell captain "would want each of us to come back from it in the right manner".

Rangers and Ferguson did that with the midfielder netting in a 2-0 victory over Dundee United that moved the Ibrox men one point above Celtic at the top of the SPL table. The victory opens up the possibility of Walter Smith's side establishing a seven-point lead with games away to St Mirren, on Tuesday, and Gretna the following Wednesday, before Celtic are next in league action.

"St Mirren and Gretna are fighting for their lives and the matches are away so they will both be difficult. But we know these are the games you need to win to win the championship," said Ferguson.

The transformation in Rangers' fortunes since Smith returned a year ago this week as the club languished 17 points behind Gordon Strachan's reigning champions could hardly be more complete. Ferguson admitted yesterday the turnaround had surprised even him.

"It has been quicker than I thought it would. There have been a lot guys coming in and a lot of guys moved out," he said. "But I think we are ahead of schedule and I just think we need to continue that. Things are looking good for us."