QUOTE OF THE DAY
‘In Dorrans Rangers at last have a signing with proven quality at a high level. With Alves also due to arrive things will get better’
some spirits. Eddie Easson, Ballingry, said: “Finally somebody at Ibrox talking sense. Dorrans hasn’t started his time at Rangers with stupid statements. Challenge Celtic is what he’s asking, unlike Dave King and Pedro.”
added: “At last a signing with real proven quality who has performed at a high level in the past.
“Dorrans is a proper player and with Bruno Alves also due to arrive things will get better.”
Celtic get their European campaign started on Friday with a first-leg qualifier against Linfield.
The imminent arrival of Manchester City’s Olivier Ntcham has boosted the morale of the fans.
said: “This boy sounds a really good one. Two years playing in Serie A to gain experience after a grounding at Manchester City. Looks promising.”
added: “We have had to be patient throughout the summer and pre-season but Brendan Rodgers said we would wait to get quality and it looks as though he is coming through on his promise.”
Celtic scored nine goals against Shamrock Rovers at the weekend to warm up for Windsor Park and
said: “Looks like the team is getting into stride at the right time.
“All things equal, we should have a right chance of making the groups again.”
In a rare moment of
neutrality, said: “Last week was pretty terrible with Rangers and St Johnstone both going out of the Europa League at a stage our teams should be too good to even be playing.
“Although we know Celtic won’t have any hassles against Linfield, fingers crossed Aberdeen can do the business against the Bosnians because our game needs a lift.” CALL THE HOTLINE TODAY FROM 11 TILL 12 NOON on: 0141 309 3306 or email us: hotline@dailyrecord.co.uk ARTHUR NUMAN already knew the difference was night and day. But it took a phone call from his brother Jeroen inside the Stade Josy Barthel to confirm just how far Rangers have fallen.
The former Ibrox defender was so stunned by news the Light Blues were making a Europa League exit to a part-time Luxembourg club he was convinced it was a wind-up.
Last Tuesday’s disgrace is for boss Pedro Caixinha and his players to live with but Numan insists the Portuguese boss must stay calm and carry on.
He said: “My brother Jeroen was in the stadium for the Progres game. He called me when they scored the second goal and I thought he was joking.
“So I went to see for myself and I couldn’t believe Rangers were 2-0 down.
“My brother and his friends used to come over twice a month to watch me play for Rangers.
“He told me the team now is nothing like the side I played in but that’s understandable given the situation the club has been in.
“But it’s still embarrassing to lose to a team from Luxembourg.
“You can’t compare the side now with the team of 1998 because there is a gulf in quality.
“It says enough when you lose against a team from Luxembourg.
“The most important thing is for Caixinha to stay calm. It must have been a big shock for him too because it is the worst result in the history of Rangers.
“No one expected it and it’s not good for Scottish football either.
“We had it in Holland four years ago when Utrecht were knocked out by a team from Luxembourg and they were absolutely hammered – deservedly so.
“Progres Niederkorn are all part-timers – they are all working during the day and training three times a week so to lose to them was shocking.”
Numan’s introduction to life at Ibrox as a £4.5million signing back in 1998 wasn’t as traumatic as the current batch of summer recruits but there are some striking similarities.
Pitching up just days after a 5-3 win UEFA Cup over Shelbourne, which required the recovery from a three-goal deficit in the last half hour, his early days as a Rangers player didn’t go as smoothly as he’d hoped.
That potential calamity was averted but the 47-year-old believes the current integration of mixed nationalities is one thing this squad has in common with the multi-million-pound side assembled by Dick Advocaat.
He said: “I’d just come back from the World Cup in 1998 and the team had been together for three or four weeks.
“I arrived a few days before we played Shelbourne again. I had to shake hands with everyone and the first 10 players were all different nationalities. One was speaking Italian, the next was Scandinavian, then Spanish.
“The most important thing is when you see these guys out on the training pitch that they have quality and can play football.
“Can they actually create a team? Are they players who want