McLeish hails dogged Rangers

By Alex O'Henley in Glasgow

Alex McLeish's new-look Rangers FC side demonstrated their worth as they came from behind to beat UEFA Champions League debutants VfB Stuttgart 2-1 at Ibrox.

Major departures
Having lost seven players in the summer, including the likes of Barry Ferguson, Lorenzo Amoruso and Neil McCann, some had predicted that Rangers would struggle in Europe, but veteran signings Henning Berg and Brazilian Emerson helped make it a night of celebration for their manager. "This was a fantastic result for us," said manager McLeish. "I lived every moment of the game with the players on the touchline. "I felt we actually played better in the first half, but even when we were 1-0 down I thought we could get something from the game."

Nerlinger goal
McLeish would probably have settled for a point as the game entered the last quarter. Having brought on Peter Lovenkrands and Nuno Capucho it seemed as though he had exhausted all his options as his side trailed to Kevin Kuranyi's goal. But then Christian Nerlinger, the German player who has spent most of his two years at Ibrox on the treatment table, pulled Rangers back into the game in the 73rd minute.

Lovenkrands winner
Five minutes later Lovenkrands, as he has done so often in the past, proved to be the Rangers hero when he surged forward and powered a shot past Timo Hildebrand. However, there was at least one negative point for Rangers. McLeish revealed after the game that Fernando Ricksen, who was involved in a clash of heads with Berg midway through the first half, had suffered concussion and would spend the night in hospital. He also added that the Dutch defender is expected to be out for four weeks.

'He said he was OK'
Berg, who needed stitches in his head after the clash with Ricksen, spoke afterwards of his fears for his team-mate. "It's always terrible when you are involved in something like that and you automatically fear the worst, but I spoke to Fernando at half-time and he said he was OK," said Berg.

Brilliant atmosphere
"The atmosphere tonight was brilliant, better than anything I experienced during my time at Old Trafford," added the former Manchester United FC defender. "I felt we were unlucky to go a goal behind right on half-time. We didn't play that well in the second half, but we got the goals and could have added a third right at the end."

Stuttgart ambition
Stuttgart coach Felix Magath obviously thought the game was there to be won and that was reflected in his team selection. Christian Tiffert, Stuttgart's talented young midfield player was preferred to Jurica Vranješ in midfield, a clear intention that Magath wanted his side to play for a win.

'A learning experience'
Having gone ahead moments before the interval, Magath was understandably frustrated his team could not hold on to their lead. "This was a learning experience for us," said Magath. "I felt we relied too much on our defensive abilities when we went 1-0 up, although you can understand that because until tonight we hadn't conceded a goal this season. It's a disappointing outcome and I feel we deserved something from the game."

Happy ending
Stuttgart's disappointment was Rangers' delight. Having completed a brave comeback, McLeish's men may well have convinced themselves, as well as the sceptics, that they are capable of competing in Europe's top competition.