Sport

Rangers set to lose captain

Soccer Scottish Round-up Rangers captain Barry Ferguson has told the club that he wants a move to the Premiership.

Mon Aug 25 2003 - 01:00

Soccer Scottish Round-upRangers captain Barry Ferguson has told the club that he wants a move to the Premiership.

Ferguson looks set to leave Glasgow before the transfer window shuts next weekend, with Blackburn the only confirmed interest, although Everton, Liverpool and Manchester City are also strongly linked.

The 25-year-old looks to have played his last game during Rangers' 5-2 win over Hibernian at Ibrox on Saturday, when he was warmly applauded from the field.

However, Rangers manager Alex McLeish has already expressed his displeasure at the timing of Ferguson's announcement just days before they travel to Denmark this week for the crucial Champions League tie against FC Copenhagen, where the score stands at 1-1 after the first leg.

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Ibrox chairman John McClelland stressed that efforts were made to try to persuade the Scotland international to change his mind until the win over Hibs.

But, following the game, it was decided by the board to accept the player's transfer request.

Two goals from Michael Mols, an Ian Murray own-goal, and one each from Mikel Arteta and substitute Chris Burke gave Rangers victory, though the winning margin was harsh on the Edinburgh side.

Meanwhile, Ian Ross hopes television pictures will prove he was an innocent party in the incident which saw Celtic awarded a match-winning penalty at Firhill on Saturday.

Thistle looked like holding on for a point when James Grady cancelled out Paul Lambert's opener but they were left empty-handed when referee Kenny Clark ruled that Ross that pushed Stilian Petrov in the area and Alan Thompson converted from the penalty spot.

The game was shown live on television and Ross is hoping those pictures will prove his innocence.

Ross said: "I don't want to set myself up for a fall but I don't think it was a shove - so I want to see it on television."

He added: "I was going for the ball, there is no question about that, but the referee saw it the other way."

Ross did not protest when Clark pointed to the spot, but the defender insists he was trying to avoid being booked rather than agreeing with the decision.