Rangers manager Ally McCoist hopes there is a growing realisation that they will not walk away with the Third Division title after 49,463 fans watched his side edge past Queen’s Park at Ibrox.
Lee McCulloch’s double earned Rangers a 2-0 win but the second goal did not come until injury-time. The crowd remained behind the team and McCoist was satisfied with the performance as his side displaced the amateurs at the top of the table.
He said: “We expected a tough game. I hope there is a realisation coming from everyone about the players we have lost and realise it’s not going to be an overnight fix.”
18-team Serie A
Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin is promoting the idea of having a Serie A with 18 teams instead of 20. Guidolin has already complained before that the fixture list is too packed now and could result in more injuries and stress on players.
“I have become accustomed to working at a frantic pace but until there’s a new rule to stop this system it’ll be difficult to have everyone at their best,” he said.
“I like the idea of an 18-team Serie A, as there are players who will take part in 16 games from now to Christmas. In the past, 16 games was half a season. If you add internationals, then you have the equivalent of half a season squeezed into two months.”
Super-sub tag not for City’s Dzeko
Edin Dzeko does not want to be known as a super-sub. The striker is Man. City’s leading scorer with six goals this season but four of those goals have come from the bench including two in Saturday’s 2-1 win at West Brom.
The Bosnian was introduced late on and within 60 seconds had equalised before converting an injury-time pass from Sergio Aguero for the winner.
Dzeko said: “I’m there when the team needs me but I was never a super-sub even before I came to City. At Wolfsburg I scored a lot of goals – not as a sub.
“I will never be a super-sub... I want to play.”
Favre despairs over poor defence
Borussia Moenchengladbach coach Lucien Favre will go back to basics and teach his team the art of defending after Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Werder Bremen.
The Foals fell to their third defeat of the season with a comprehensive defeat at the Weser Stadion and the Swiss coach is growing tired with his side’s defensive errors.
“I have said it over and over again, and still have to keep repeating myself – we have a lot of work to do and I regret that we are conceding soft goals,” he said.
“We have to carry on working and discussing things, but we need to play with more belief.
“We forget to defend at times and we are paying dearly.”
Messi’s 15th La Liga treble
Lionel Messi’s 15th La Liga hat-trick lit up a nerve-jangling nine-goal thriller as Barcelona survived Javier Mas-cherano’s red card to win 5-4 at Deportivo to stay top late Saturday.
Messi’s latest masterclass overshadowed Real Madrid’s drab 2-0 triumph at home to promoted Celta Vigo.
World Player of the Year Messi, who is expecting the imminent birth of his first child, has notched 71 goals for club and country in 2012.
That leaves him only four short of the record set by Brazilian great Pele in 1959.
The Argentine has 11 goals in eight La Liga outings so far this season.
Fans held after Dortmund clashes
About 200 Borussia Dortmund and Schalke fans were taken into custody after police were attacked as trouble broke out at the Ruhr Valley derby on Saturday.
Most of those detained were Schalke supporters, police said in a statement.
“Dortmund and Schalke’s violent criminals consciously undermined our security concept,” said police director Dieter Keil.
“Their aim was to fight their rivals and innocent people.”
The trouble started when several hundred visiting fans lit flares on their way to the stadium in Dortmund.
They fought home supporters and then attacked police when they tried to separate them.
Campbell calls for penalties
Former England and Arsenal defender Sol Campbell has called on UEFA to introduce point deductions to stamp out racist behaviour in the sport.
England Under-21s’ 1-0 victory over Serbia in Krusevac on Tuesday was overshadowed by apparent racism from the stands towards England full-back Danny Rose.
“It was a disaster. It was as if there was no control from the fans, from the officials and to top it off Danny was getting abused all game,” Campbell said.
“I think UEFA should deduct points and then after a while when you stop qualifying for these competitions people will start to wake up.”