Alex McLeish explains how Rangers sealed Scottish Cup win over Celtic

BlueMeanie

Well-Known Member
THE 2002 Scottish Cup final was one that Rangers fans will look back on fondly. Twice Celtic took the lead over their arch-rivals in an end-to-end contest, only to be pegged back first by Peter Lovenkrands and then by Barry Ferguson.
As the game passed the 90-minute mark, extra-time looked inevitable. But then, right at the death, Lovenkrands' late header steered the ball past Rab Douglas to seal a League Cup and Scottish Cup double for the Light Blues.

Alex McLeish, the Ibrox boss at the time, insists that the last-gasp victory was one of his greatest moments as a manager. And speaking to the Athletic, the former Hibs and Scotland manager revealed that he had a plan to target a weak link in Martin O'Neill's starting XI.
Chris Sutton started at centre-back that day at Hampden, and McLeish was convinced that Lovenkrands would be able to cause the striker-turned-defender all sorts of problems.

"Chris was a centre-forward but he had played there with aplomb before," he said. "Peter's legs were too good for any of Celtic's back four and through the middle of defence was definitely an area we targeted.

"I've had a few highs in my career but to win such an exciting game in the way we did after beating Celtic in the League Cup was a fantastic way to end the season.
"That was a top Celtic team. Martin O'Neill said that was their next-best team since the Lisbon Lions."
The Danish forward got on the end of Neil McCann's first-time cross to bundle the ball home to seal Rangers' name on the trophy, and McLeish reckons that Lovenkrands didn't always get the recognition that he deserved.
"Peter was a fantastic finisher," he said. "He was capable of overhead kicks or scuffing one in with his right foot.
"He was great at coming in off the line but playing on the wing wasn't his greatest strength. People thought, 'Peter has pace, he can go by people and put the ball in' but there is an art to getting past people.
"Peter often looked more deadly when he ran inside or ran through the middle. He was sort of a modern-day wide player - like you see now in front threes, like [Liverpool pair] [Sadio] Mane and [Mo] Salah, who like to play narrow.
"He deserves more credit than he was given."
 
"He was great at coming in off the line but playing on the wing wasn't his greatest strength. People thought, 'Peter has pace, he can go by people and put the ball in' but there is an art to getting past people.

By people, I take it he's talking about himself.
 
Most of us knew he was more effective through the middle. The question is, why was he not used there more often than he was.

Because it was based on blistering pace and domestic opponents sit deep it's no coincidence that Peters better games were against the papes who come out and play us. That said O'Neill got smart to it and doubled up on him with McNamara and think it was Lambert.
 
Absolutely fabulous game of football and sheer joy at the end.

The line ups on both sides that day were of unbelievable quality. Will never see that again.

Rangers: Klos, Ross, Moore, Amoruso, Numan, Ricksen, de Boer, Ferguson, Lovenkrands, McCann, Caniggia (Arveladze 20). Subs Not Used: McGregor, Vidmar, Nerlinger, Flo.

Celtic: Douglas, Mjallby, Sutton, Balde, Agathe, Lennon, Lambert (McNamara 44), Petrov, Thompson, Larsson, Hartson. Subs Not Used: Gould, Boyd, Moravcik, Guppy.
 
But what a great game, one of my favourite cup finals too. And how quick did the vermin empty afterwards?
 
Played them off the park that day, feared the worst though when Barry hit the post from outside the box when we were 2-1 down.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wpj
Eck says the wing wasn't his strong position...why did he play him on the wing so often then?

And even the right-wing when Europe came around.

That being said, great Cup Final.
 
THE 2002 Scottish Cup final was one that Rangers fans will look back on fondly. Twice Celtic took the lead over their arch-rivals in an end-to-end contest, only to be pegged back first by Peter Lovenkrands and then by Barry Ferguson.
As the game passed the 90-minute mark, extra-time looked inevitable. But then, right at the death, Lovenkrands' late header steered the ball past Rab Douglas to seal a League Cup and Scottish Cup double for the Light Blues.

Alex McLeish, the Ibrox boss at the time, insists that the last-gasp victory was one of his greatest moments as a manager. And speaking to the Athletic, the former Hibs and Scotland manager revealed that he had a plan to target a weak link in Martin O'Neill's starting XI.
Chris Sutton started at centre-back that day at Hampden, and McLeish was convinced that Lovenkrands would be able to cause the striker-turned-defender all sorts of problems.

"Chris was a centre-forward but he had played there with aplomb before," he said. "Peter's legs were too good for any of Celtic's back four and through the middle of defence was definitely an area we targeted.

"I've had a few highs in my career but to win such an exciting game in the way we did after beating Celtic in the League Cup was a fantastic way to end the season.
"That was a top Celtic team. Martin O'Neill said that was their next-best team since the Lisbon Lions."
The Danish forward got on the end of Neil McCann's first-time cross to bundle the ball home to seal Rangers' name on the trophy, and McLeish reckons that Lovenkrands didn't always get the recognition that he deserved.
"Peter was a fantastic finisher," he said. "He was capable of overhead kicks or scuffing one in with his right foot.
"He was great at coming in off the line but playing on the wing wasn't his greatest strength. People thought, 'Peter has pace, he can go by people and put the ball in' but there is an art to getting past people.
"Peter often looked more deadly when he ran inside or ran through the middle. He was sort of a modern-day wide player - like you see now in front threes, like [Liverpool pair] [Sadio] Mane and [Mo] Salah, who like to play narrow.
"He deserves more credit than he was given."

Lovenkrands was a cracking player, used to get some stick on here. This place has never changed really there's always a player that gets singled out.
 
Was that the game where Mutton took Caniggia out with a typical sleekit elbow and he almost missed the World Cup Finals?
 
Bundled the ball home ? It was a great goal .

Doesn’t get much better than a cup final injury time winner .
 
I was at the game & loads of different memories from that day but I had the whole coverage of the match & build up recorded.
So next day settled down to watch it all & who was in the Rangers dugout that day ? None other than Gordon Strachan & one of Strachan, s mates.
The reason given was he had asked big Eck for a couple of tickets so he take his English mate to an OF game , Eck forgot & with the game being a sellout the only way he could get them in was to make out they were part of the backroom team !!
Strachan was the Southampton manager at the time & at half time he was interviewed & asked if he would be giving any advice to Eck, his reply was no & that Eck & Rangers were doing just fine.
Funny how things turn out, then he became a twisted little basta#d
 
Killer comeback.
But, always check your post before you hit the button, particularly when trying to look clever.

Sound and irony free advice from a guy who felt it appropriate to point out Rangers fans might be interested in reading an article about Rangers. Ta.
 
Was only 10 at the time, one of the first cup finals I can recall. Unbelievable day.

Me & old man jumped up and into each other upon Lovenkrands’ winner, and he ended up bursting my nose ... great day though.
 
Sound and irony free advice from a guy who felt it appropriate to point out Rangers fans might be interested in reading an article about Rangers. Ta.
After this clarification I'm out.
Your original question was not, as your attempted rewrite states, "Who reads an article about Rangers?"
It was instead "Who reads an interesting article on tactics and the first thing that jumps out is the verb choice of the author to describe a header".
There's several differences.
I'd suggest you stop digging but, dig away, I'm bored.
 
Great game.... 5 of us dancing round the living room like dafties when the third goal went in
Greeting like a daftie in Malaga airport,didn't know the score big scouser I asked said we'd scored in the last minute,then my niece at the game txt me,had lost my father her Pappa sadly in March!still got it ondvd as "Vinnie's final"after dad , memories wonderful,stay safe bears!
 
After this clarification I'm out.
Your original question was not, as your attempted rewrite states, "Who reads an article about Rangers?"
It was instead "Who reads an interesting article on tactics and the first thing that jumps out is the verb choice of the author to describe a header".
There's several differences.
I'd suggest you stop digging but, dig away, I'm bored.

I thought that a combination of the thread title, the content of the original post, the forum it was posted on and indeed this entire website would have made superfluous the requirement to mention Rangers in any of my posts; alas, no. My first comment was intended as a fairly flippant observation that I find it unusual that anyone could read an interesting and revealing passage about identifying Sutton as a weak link in the Celtic defence and utilising Lovenkrands to exploit that in what was one of the most celebrated SCF wins of all time and find the only thing of note the author's choice of verb to describe a header.

I'm bored as well, and loving the weird gaslighting thing about the digging bit, so batter on.
 
A great game. Fingernails chewed off, and delirium when Lovenkrands buried that header. One of my all time favourite goals.
 
Reminded me how much I hated Hartson he constantly got away with continuous fouling I remember one game at Ibrox he had 9 fouls before getting booked near the end of the match,he should been off twice in that match.Great to see Sutton losing Loverkrands for the winner that was a great day, it was Moravciks last game for them he was going to get a big send off at the end did he hell their end was empty in minutes a lovely sight.
 
Absolutely fabulous game of football and sheer joy at the end.

The line ups on both sides that day were of unbelievable quality. Will never see that again.

Rangers: Klos, Ross, Moore, Amoruso, Numan, Ricksen, de Boer, Ferguson, Lovenkrands, McCann, Caniggia (Arveladze 20). Subs Not Used: McGregor, Vidmar, Nerlinger, Flo.

Celtic: Douglas, Mjallby, Sutton, Balde, Agathe, Lennon, Lambert (McNamara 44), Petrov, Thompson, Larsson, Hartson. Subs Not Used: Gould, Boyd, Moravcik, Guppy.

Our line-up in particular is unreal. Used to take that kind of line-up for granted.
 
Back
Top