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What A Feeling Andrew Dickson reports from Parkhead PEDRO MENDES heaped praise on Kenny Miller for the way he handled himself on his return to the Old Firm arena as his goals gave Rangers a 4-2 victory at Celtic. The Scotland striker responded in style to the flak he has received in recent weeks with a memorable double to win the derby for Walter Smith's side. Mendes was also a scorer and he has secured his place in the hearts of Gers fans for the stunning strike he sent soaring into the net to put the visitors 3-1 up But he was happy for Miller to take centre stage after his volley and clincher ensured he grabbed the headlines after the first meeting of Scotland's big two this season. Mendes said: "I knew about the pressure that was on Kenny but I think he showed what a professional he is. "He is a strong character. To score and play like he did was very good for him and it says a lot." Mendes is famed for the goal he scored for Portsmouth against Manchester City a two seasons ago - a strike that set Pompey on the road to Premiership survival. He knows his latest effort was every bit as important to the away fans who travelled to Parkhead and was delighted to open his Rangers account in front of them. Mendes added: "It is always good to get goals and when you move to a new club, you always want to score as quickly as possible. "That is the case for midfielders as well as strikers and if you have a chance, you want to net so that you have something to build on. "Scoring in this game in particular is very special and I can only think of good things from today. It was a fantastic win and a fantastic performance from the team. "It was a great environment to play in and it just confirmed what people had told me during the week. It was a very good game for us and the result was great too. "It was disappointing to concede the way we did as we led 1-0 because it was a scrappy goal but we were fantastic after the break. "We controlled the game, we scored good goals and we passed the ball around the park very well. Overall, it was a very good performance from us." In winning at Parkhead, Rangers have stormed to the top of the SPL in some style but with just four games gone, Mendes is keen not to get carried away. The small matter of three more Old Firm games and 31 other league fixtures lie between Gers and a 52nd title and the Portuguese midfielder has urged caution. He said: "It was a big win for us, especially after the tough start to the season we have had and three away games in our first four. "This win is massive for us as it gives us confidence, motivation and something to build on. "We want to keep getting better and we are gelling well at the moment. There is a lot of quality in the side but we still have a long way to go. "The main thing we take from this win is three points and it means we are top of the league going into our next match. "We didn't want to be second with seven points and looking up the table at Celtic. Now we've got that boost, we must do everything we can to hold our position."

Andrew Dickson reports from Parkhead WALTER SMITH has praised his squad for the way it has come back from European humiliation to experience Old Firm glory in less than four weeks. On August 5, the outlook was incredibly bleak for the Light Blues in the aftermath of their 2-1 humbling by FBK Kaunas in the second Champions League qualifying round. Now, after an emphatic 4-2 win over Celtic at Parkhead this afternoon, it seems so much brighter following three wins in four games that have taken Gers to the top of the SPL. Of course, they are still some way from being the finished article but this month has been one of constant improvement for the Ibrox outfit. It has undoubtedly peaked at its climax with the biggest win at Parkhead for almost 15 years and Smith has saluted the resilience his men have shown. Indeed, he is even shocked at how positive the response has been - and admits he didn't expect such a good win in Glasgow's east end. Smith said: "Anyone who comes here and scores four goals is doing very well and yes, I was surprised we scored four today. "But it was a good performance by us. That was the main thing and I thought we played well enough, especially in the period after half-time. "It was a surprise to score four but we are obviously delighted that we did so and went on to win. "It has been a very difficult start to the season for us, especially after losing out in the Champions League qualifiers. "Going by the way we have played in the last two or three weeks, those games with Kaunas perhaps came a little bit too early for us. "They happened though and now the players deserve a great deal of credit for the way they have come back. "It wasn't an easy few weeks for anyone at the club after what happened in Lithuania but we've played fairly well and in a different manner from last season. "Hopefully we continue to improve and build on the way we are trying to play at the present moment." Smith was aggrieved by referee Dougie McDonald's decision to issue a second yellow card to Daniel Cousin quarter of an hour from full-time. The sending-off could end up being the last act of the Gabon hitman's Ibrox career, with the manager refusing to rule out a move elsewhere before the transfer window shuts. Whether he stays or goes tomorrow, Cousin certainly played a big part in this afternoon's stunning triumph. And after a performance which ran Celtic's central-defensive pair Gary Caldwell and Stephen McManus ragged at times, there was clear sympathy for the former Lens hitman. Smith added: "We used to have games where centre-forwards and centre-halves clashed regularly and it was a feature of play. "I don't think there was any animosity between the players. Gary had a few fouls, as did Daniel. "But nowadays, it seems that is not allowed overall and Daniel ended up getting sent off, something that was disappointing from our point of view. "We were just at the point of considering taking him off because of the situation he was in but it was a difficult one because he was doing so well. "I just feel at times that when these sort of things are always rather innocuous and it was unfortunate for him."

http://www.sendspace.com/file/rct3cs

Aye, all I could here the whole game was the Rangers fans,superb well done lads,the only time I heard the scum was when they were claiming free kicks/fouls

Disagree again Pete,are you seriously saying that we have not improved since he cane back ?.And before I get jumped on,I don't really think he is the man that will takes us much further,but to say we haven't improved is wrong IMO.

Correct Jon,make no mistake,he will have us all fuming at his performance in his next game

Fuck.............!!!!!!!!!, i'm dying to see this game

Mmmmmmmmm!!!!,I seem to remember a headbutt in a certain game that could've cost us dearly

Pete,if WS won the CL you would still say you don't rate him,which is your opinion of course in which you're entitled to

Walter was getting pelters on here,prior to kick off, for the team he set out

According to his interview on the radio after the game he doesn't think that, he said I didn't expect to lose like that at half time, a couple of bad goals and one good one

Ok, but then Walters tactics got us to the final of every competition and got us two trophies

If we go on to win the league,and possibly the treble,and get straight into the CL,will we look back on the sale of Carlos as a good bit of business ?

WS cost us the title ?, him and all the players surely.

Andrew Dickson reports from Parkhead WALTER SMITH paid tribute to his Rangers players after their magnificent 4-2 derby win over Celtic at Parkhead. The Light Blues manager raised eyebrows before play began by selecting Daniel Cousin to partner Kenny Miller up front. But his decision paid off when the Gabon hitman fired in the opener - and he was even more ecstatic when Miller then struck a second-half double. Pedro Mendes was the other scorer with a screamer from 25 yards and there's little doubt the visitors deserved to take three points from the first Old Firm clash of the season. While Smith will be acclaimed by many Gers fans for choosing the side he put out, he was keen for the men at his disposal to take the credit instead. He said: "We are obviously pleased to win the game. It was quite open and we were delighted to get the first goal then disappointed at losing one shortly afterwards. "It was a scrappy one from our point of view and 1-1 was probably just about right at half-time. "But whoever gets the first goal of the second half in Old Firm games often goes on to have the have the upper hand. "We managed to score then add another quite quickly and it was always going to be difficult for Celtic to come back after that. "You are always on edge when you come here but in the end, it was a terrific victory at a place where it is very difficult for any team to get a win and our players did very well." There was obvious focus on Miller as he returned to Celtic Park just two years since he joined Gordon Strachan's side after a previous spell with Rangers. He famously scored his first goal for the Parkhead team against the Light Blues but made away fans forget that with a wonderful brace today. His first effort was a brilliant right-footed volley across Artur Boruc's goal and the second was a tap-in after the Pole fumbled the ball. Miller's return to Ibrox has not gone down well with some supporters, who have made their feelings on the matter known over the last few weeks. Smith is hopeful the Scotland hitman's contribution today goes some way towards appeasing them. When asked how much pressure he thought Miller was under ahead of this game, the manager joked: "Not as much as me. "I thought Kenny played well. It seems to be the case quite often in football that people score against their former clubs and that was the case here. "I'm just pleased we managed to get the goals we needed and it doesn't bother me who scores them. "But Kenny played well today and if his performance doesn't win people over, we've got a bit of a problem. I don't know what he would need to do. "He has got his goals now so it is over with and hopefully he can go on to get a few more as the season goes on."

Gribz.........you're like a dog with a bone........COUSIN WANTS TO LEAVE

For me I don't see what the dilema is, he wants to leave end of

I won't vote on this, I wasn't against him signing

Sorry Gazza,I just posted another thread on this,stick with yours and can a mod delete my thread.

Serious question lads,to the guys on here that dislike Miller, do you feel any different about him now,just wondering ?

Cheers Barry,you're a gentleman,reading that I could actually see the goals

Yes, still here. No-one is arguing with the the fact Cousin is better than Boyd,only Cousin doesn't want to be here,so hopefully he has played well enough today to get the move he craves and we get some cash for him

Never seen the game...........working .............but Cousin maybe has just played himself into the move he wants ?

Get Fleck involved

Did I hear correctly when the the commentator said that Cesc Fabregas[sp],has played over 200 games for Arsenal and he is still only 20 years old ?