Alarmed & dangerous
Gers stars got a rude awakening from the bells but it kept us sharp for the Lovenkrands final says Ibrox hero Art
ALARM bells gave Arthur Numan a rude awakening on the morning of the 2002 Scottish Cup Final.
But there was no need to panic after the Dutchman and his Rangers team-mates stirred themselves into action as Peter Lovenkrands’ famous last-minute winner clinched a precious win over Celtic.
Now the Ibrox hero is hoping Philippe Clement can rouse another grandstand finish from this team come Saturday to send the Light Blues legions to bed dreaming of better times next season.
Numan was part of the Alex McLeish side that left Celtic sickened when Lovenkrands swooped to snatch the trophy in a 3-2 Hampden thriller.
The Dane’s diving header came just minutes before the clock struck 5pm on cup final day – 13 hours after Numan and his yawning colleagues had found themselves shivering outside the team hotel wearing only their undies due to fire alarms being set ringing.
The 54-year-old has no idea who caused the early morning disturbance and whether it was a prank designed to wreck their chances.
If it was a premeditated move, though, it backfired on Martin O’Neill’s Hoops as the fired-up Ibrox side mounted a brave comeback to snatch the trophy, having twice trailed their rivals.
The former defender said: “We were in the Crowne Plaza.
“It was the middle of the night when the alarm went off.
“You thought, ‘What’s happening?’. It turned out to be the best preparation for us because it kept us sharp!
“We were all standing outside the hotel in our underwear, freezing. I don’t know what caused it – maybe someone interfered with the smoke detector – but it was so strange. One minute you’re getting yourself ready for a cup final, then all of a sudden the alarm goes off at 4am and you’re standing outside.
“But we still won because it kept us sharp!
“That cup final was so special. It went 1-1, then 2-2 and then that amazing goal by Peter.”
The impact of Lovenkrands’ last-gasp heroics had farreaching consequences, according to Numan.
Having surrendered a second successive league title to Celtic that season, their Scottish Cup win – following on from a League Cup triumph – sent Rangers into the 2002-03 campaign with confidence restored.
And that belief had legs as it took them all the way to the domestic Treble.
Numan isn’t expecting a clean sweep next year but he hopes a victory in three days’ time can set Clement’s team up for a run at further silverware following the summer. He added: “When I first signed here in 1998, we won a Treble then a Double.
“But then Martin O’Neill came in and Celtic started winning a lot, so we’ve gone from being heroes to getting slaughtered.
“We were under pressure because it’s all about winning trophies. Alex McLeish took over mid-season but we were 11 points behind.
“I thought, ‘We can’t win the league any more, so we must focus on winning the League Cup and then the Scottish Cup’.
“That’s why this year’s Scottish Cup is so important.
“OK, Rangers haven’t won the league but they can still win a double and that makes it special.
“What did that give my side going into the next season? Belief, confidence.
“When we won the League Cup that season, the biggest moment came in the semi-final
It turned out to be the best possible preparation for us because it kept us sharp ARTHUR NUMAN ON THE 2002 FIRE ALARM
with that screamer from Bert Konterman.
“That was the most important goal of my entire five years here because that changed everything.
“You could see the belief return and the next season we went on to win a Treble.
“For this team now, they need to focus on doing something similar.”
Numan hung up his boots at the conclusion of that Treblewinning campaign.
He only did so after spending the week leading up to their 1-0 Scottish Cup triumph over Dundee legless, having overindulged in the celebrations that followed their nerve-shredding 6-1 title clincher at home to Dunfermline.
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Rodgers’ newly crowned champions turning up in a similar state. Numan said: “I’m sure Celtic have been celebrating winning the league – probably two days and now they need to focus on the Cup Final. “I remember in 2003, we won the league against Dunfermline on goal difference. We were partying on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. “The Cup Final against Dundee was one of the worst games we played. I went off with cramp, which was probably because of the amount of alcohol still in my body!” Arthur Numan was speaking at a Scottish Gas media event. Scottish Gas is the proud partner of the Scottish Cup.