The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Boss fears cup final likely to be Goldson’s last game for Gers
Hearts hero meanwhile says club can profit from rivals’ Europa fatigue
Giovanni van Bronckhorst is braced for the possibility that Connor Goldson will play his last game for Rangers in today’s Scottish Cup final against Hearts.
The 29-year-old centreback has been a key man for the Ibrox club since joining from Brighton four years ago, but his contract expires this summer and he has so far declined all offers to sign a new deal.
Van Bronckhorst has not given up hope of persuading him to stay but admits this weekend’s showpiece match at Hampden could represent his swansong in light blue.
“The club has been in talks to extend his contract, but so far he has not extended it,” said Van Bronckhorst.
“The chance he will still be a Rangers player I think will be small.
“I would love to have Connor in the team next year and I still have in my mind that he will be part of Rangers next year. But the reality is we will have to watch what happens in the coming weeks.
“Connor has been amazing for this team in all those years as a Rangers player. If it will be his last game tomorrow, I don’t know right now.”
It remains to be seen if veteran goalkeeper Allan McGregor has already played his last game for the club.
The Gers number one is 40 but out of contract this summer and no decision has been taken on his future.
McGregor will sit out the final against Hearts as deputy Jon McLaughlin – who has played all Scottish Cup games so far – will face Robbie Neilson’s team.
“I’ve started Jon in the Scottish Cup campaign this year and he did well, especially in the semi-final against Celtic, so for me it would be strange to change him,” said Van Bronckhorst.
“He will still have the confidence from me tomorrow.
“It’s a difficult one because Allan is our number-one goalkeeper, but he was very thoughtful and totally understands that Jon has been playing in the cup.
“With Allan, we have agreed to speak with (sporting director) Ross Wilson after the season.”
Rangers must recover mentally and physically from the heartache of losing the Europa League final to Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties in searing Seville heat on Wednesday.
Borna Barisic is out after going off injured in Spain, but Van Bronckhorst is confident the rest of his beleaguered squad can respond positively at Hampden.
“We had a tough game, playing 120 minutes in very difficult circumstances, but we had a good recovery today (Friday) and all players who are involved on Wednesday except Borna are available tomorrow,” he said.
“I have a lot of confidence in my team and their ability to regroup and recover from big games.
“The final was a big game for us and we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but overall it was a good experience for my team to play in such a big game.
“When you are in finals and you come so far and are very close to achieving silverware, the disappointment will be very big.
“But we have another very important game tomorrow that can mean we win silverware this season.
“That is our focus now and I have full confidence my team will be ready when the whistle goes.”
Meanwhile, Paulo Sergio is adamant his former club Hearts can end their 10year wait for Scottish Cup glory if they adopt a bold approach that allows them to capitalise on any Europa League fatigue in the Rangers ranks.
The Portuguese was the last manager to lead the Jambos to success in the tournament when he oversaw the famous 5-1 victory over city rivals Hibernian in the 2012 final.
Sergio is back in Scotland this weekend to support his old club at Hampden, and he feels Hearts’ extra energy supplies could make the difference against a Gers side who were taken all the way to penalties before losing in Seville.
“I think Hearts can profit in this moment from Rangers coming from such a big game with a small time to recover,” Sergio told the PA news agency.
“With the right strategy and the right attitude on the pitch, it’s one game, so of course I believe we can win this cup.
“People say 72 hours is good enough to recover a player between one game and the other, but it is still not the same. I am quite sure the Hearts players will have much more energy to spend in this game than the Rangers players.
“But of course Hearts can’t make mistakes because Rangers are a good team with important players. The Hearts team has to be brave. I would love to press them and not let them feel their way into the game.
“Squeeze them as much as possible to get the ball higher up the pitch and put them in trouble. I think this is not the moment to give them too much initiative because, with initiative, Rangers have enough talent to give you trouble.”
Hearts have played two finals since their 2012 triumph, but this is the first one Sergio – now in charge of Portuguese top-flight side Portimonense – has been able to attend since that memorable day a decade ago.
And he is excited to return to the scene of the highlight of his career.
“It’s always special to come back to Edinburgh but with a cup final, it’s even more special,” he said after flying into Scotland’s capital from Lisbon.
“It’s 10 years now since we won the last one so I think it’s time to bring a new one for our museum.
“I’m sure it will be fantastic to be at Hampden again.”