Soccer Souness spends freely to rebuild Rangers

Press, 5 October 1987, Page 25

Soccer Souness spends freely to rebuild Rangers

NZPA-Reuter London The name of Graeme Souness was synonymous with success during his distinguished playing career with Liverpool, and there seems every prospect of a new era of personal triumph in his role as player-manager for Glasgow Rangers. Souness, who won some of the game’s highest honours at club level as a Liverpool stalwart in the early 1980 s is aiming to build a Rangers team capable of being one of the brightest stars in the domestic and European firmament. A former Scotland international, Souness left Italy’s Sampdoria to replace Jock Wallace as Rangers’ boss in 1986. He took the most expensive step In his quest for success by signing Richard Gough from Tottenham on Friday for £1.5 million ($3.73 million) — a British record for a defender. Gough was prevented by an injury suffered at the English first division club from making his debut in yesterday’s premier division match against Hearts, but must anticipate a more secure future both on and off the pitch. The Scottish central defender had been troubled for some time at Tottenham because his family were unable to settle in London. The Glasgow club’s latest capture takes its spending spree under Souness to almost £4 million ($9.96 million) and means Gough

. links 1 up with England and former Ipswich defender Terry Butcher, and ex-Totten-ham pair Graham Roberts and Mark Falco. The goalkeeper Chris Woods, recruited from Norwich, and the former England international, Trevor Francis, signed from the Italian club Atalanta, are two other central figures in a Rangers side which underlined its ambitions by reaching the second round of the European Cup last week after beating Soviet side Dynamo Kiev. Francis, who in his early days in the Italian league was a team-mate of Souness at Sampdoria, plays on a match basis with Rangers because of his vulnerability to injury, but still shows superb close control and has the experience that may significantly benefit his new club in Europe. Rangers’ outstanding 2-0 home win over Kiev .on Wednesday gave them a 2-1 aggregate success in the first round of the Champions’ Cup. But they were frustrated in the bid to step up their Scottish league challenge by overnight leader Hearts. Fourth-placed Rangers and Hearts fought a goalless draw, while Aberdeen shot to the top with a 3-0 victory over Dunfermline. Aberdeen is level on 16 points with Hearts, which slipped to second spot on goal difference. Celtic is third after a 1-1 draw against Hibernian.

Souness’s former English first division team, Liverpool, gave another powerful performance and swept to a 4-0 home win against Portsmouth to stay hard on the heels of leader Queen’s Park Rangers. Second-placed Liverpool is three points behind Rangers, but has two games in hand, after recent signing Peter Beardsley and first division top scorer John Aldridge continued to make their marks. England stalwart Beardsley put Liverpool In front, while Aldridge scored from the spot to take his goal tally to 10. Steve McMahon and Ronnie Whelan completed the. rout. Second half strikes by Gary Bannister and Terry Fenwick, who scored from the spot, overcame Wimbledon’s resistance and secured a 2-1 victory for Q.P.R. Results of British soccer matches played yesterday. ENGLISH LEAGUE Division one: Charlton 0, Arsenal 3; Chelsea 2, Newcastle 2; Coventry 1, Watford 0; Liverpool 4, Portsmouth 0; Luton 1, Manchester United 1; Oxford 3, Norwich 0; Southampton 0, Everton 4; Tottenham 2, Sheffield Wednesday 0; West Ham 1, Derby 1;. Wimbledon 1, Queens Park Rangers 2. Division two: Birmingham 2, Huddersfield 0; Blackbum 1, Leeds 1; Bradford 2, Middlesbrough 0; Ipswich 1, Barnsley 0; Manchester City 4, Leicester 2; Millwall 2, Swindon 2; Plymouth 1, Aston Villa 3; Reading 1, West

Bromwich 2; Sheffield United 2, Hull 1; Shrewsbury 2, Crystal Palace 0; Stoke 1, Bournemouth 0. Division three: Blackpool 2, Fulham 1; Brentford 1, Port Vale 0; Brighton 2, Bury 1; Bristol Rovers 2, Mansfield 1; Chester 1, Notts County 2; Chesterfield 3, Rotherham 2; Doncaster 4, Gillingham 2; Grimsby 1, Southend 3; Northampton 3, Bristol City 0; Sunderland 3, Aidershot 1; Walsall 1, Preston 0; Wigan 1, York 1. Division four: Bolton 1, Wolverhampton 0; Crewe 1, Hartlepool 1; Darlington 0, Tranmere 0; Exeter 0, Torquay 1; Halifax 2, Hereford 1; Newport 1, Colchester 2; Peterborough 1, Scunthorpe 1; Rochdale 1, Carlisle 2; Scarborough 1, Burnley 0; Swansea • 1, Cambridge 1; Wrexham 2, Leyton Orient 2. SCOTTISH LEAGUE Premier division: Aberdeen 3, Dunfermline 0; Celtic I, Hibernian 1; Dundee 1, Dundee United 1; Falkirk 1, St Mirren 3; Hearts 0, Rangers 0; Morton 1, Motherwell 1. Division one: Dumbarton 1, Clyde 1; East Fife 1, Airdrieonians 3; Forfar 3, Raith 0; Hamilton 1, Kilmarnock 1; Partick 0, Clydebank 1; Queen of South 0, Meadowbank 2. Division two: Arbroath 1, East Stirling 1; Brechin 2, Albion 1; Cowdenbeath 2, Queen’s Park 4; St Johnstone 2, Alloa 1; Stenhousemulr 0, Ayr 6; Stirling 1, Berwick 0; Stranraer 1, Montrose 3.