Peterhead v rangers

[Steve1872 4]

JIM McINALLY was left battered and bloodied by Ally McCoist â?? and the only person who came to his aid was the Scotland assistant manager.

 

McInally and Rangers chief McCoist go head to head at Peterhead in todayâ??s sold-out Division Three opener.

 

But the pair literally clashed when they were both international team-mates under Craig Brown.

 

The pair were training before the World Cup qualifier at Ibrox in November 1992 with McInally revealing he was given the role of Italian defensive great Franco Baresi!

 

He recalled: â??We were working on set-pieces drills the day before the game and I was on the defensive team who were doing what Italy were supposed to do.

 

â??I was to perform the role Baresi did for Italy. McCoist was supposed to come in from behind me but when the ball came over we clattered heads â?? and I mean really clattered heads.

 

â??I came round and the only person who was above me was Craig Brown - I looked over and everyone else on the backroom staff was clustered around Ally.

 

â??There were so many of them fussing over him you could hardly see him!

 

â??To be fair to Craig, he always reminds me of it.

 

â??He says â??Remember I was the only one who made sure you were all right - the rest of those b******s all ran to McCoistâ??. But that was the way it was â?? Coisty was the golden boy back then.â?

 

Now the former Scotland pair will be next to one another on the Balmoor touchline today. And McInally wants to make sure his side learned from their Scottish Cup loss to the other half of the Old Firm last season.

 

This will be Peterheadâ??s first-ever game against Rangers and he insisted: â??This is bigger than the Celtic game because of the exposure.

 

â??When we played them we were joint bottom of the Third Division and although they beat us they never really cut us open.

 

â??We were pretty well-organised and destructive but we didnâ??t do anything worthwhile at their end.

 

â??I want us to take part in the game, I donâ??t want it to be damage limitations.

 

â??Iâ??ll play two up front on Saturday and weâ??ll have attacking options on the bench because Iâ??d like to see Neil Alexander getting tested.

 

â??I want us to get the ball and be brave - show people they can play themselves, because they can.

 

â??Itâ??s understandable with part-time players - they donâ??t want to be the one who makes a mistake in front of the TV cameras, so they donâ??t take a touch. But Iâ??ve told them 100 times they wonâ??t be criticised if they make a mistake trying to do the right thing.

 

â??Ian Durrantâ??s an old friend of mine and I was talking to him at the SFL meeting on Monday. He was talking about the dressing rooms at Brechin and I told him ours were enormous by comparison.

 

â??I told him not to go for a walk when theyâ??re staying in Aberdeen on Friday night!

 

â??Iâ??ve always got on well with him â?? we met on a family holiday in Portugal years ago. In fact the first thing he asked on Monday was how my daughter Laura was.â?

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/leaguedivision3/4482094/I-was-in-a-heap-with-Coistyno-one-cared-about-me.html

[Steve1872 4]

THE SFL are set to introduce fourth officials for matches involving Rangers in the Third Division this season.

 

Refs will be under closer scrutiny as Sky and ESPN beam Gers matches and have called for more help.

 

Now SFL chief executive David Longmuir has agreed to their request.

 

He said: “We can have fourth officials at any game.

 

“Given the renewed interest in the Third Division, a fourth official would be useful and give the ref support.”

 

As Rangers gear up for their league opener at Peterhead tomorrow, Longmuir revealed the SFL clubs are to hold a summit to counter any issues arising from the Ibrox men being in the bottom tier.

 

He said: “We are taking public safety and crowd management seriously. All 30 SFL clubs will attend a seminar next week for advice and guidance on how to deal with bigger crowds.”

 

Longmuir says a feelgood factor is sweeping through the lower leagues following Rangers’ introduction.

 

He said: “There’s a real vigour among clubs and fans.

 

“I can sense a renewed optimism – certainly within the SFL.

 

“There are a lot of young players out there now getting a chance to prove themselves in front of a much larger audience.”

[Steve1872 4]

PETERHEAD

 

Ground: Balmoor Stadium, capacity 4,000 (1,000 seated), season 2011-12 average 490. Grass surface Unlike Elgin, Peterhead have reached the Second Division but were relegated from that division in 2011 and missed out on the play-offs last season.

 

With 20-goal Rory McAllister on board last season, the Balmoor side finished fifth.

 

They have only played Rangers once, a 5-0 Scottish Cup defeat at Ibrox in 2006.

[andy steel 0]

I know its churlish to moan, but joking about Durrant going into Aberdeen is in rather poor taste.