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SPL April 2011
Scottish Premier League News April 2011: Rangers collected the first silverware of the season
Ali Morrello
Rangers
Rangers collected the first silverware of the season with a win over Old Firm rivals Celtic at Hampden in the CIS Cup.
And goal-hero Nikica Jelavic hailed his Old Firm winner for Rangers as the greatest moment of his career to date. However, the Croatian now plans to top it by supplying the goals to help beat Celtic to the SPL title and allow outgoing manager Walter Smith to depart Ibrox on a high.
The 25-year-old is determined to build upon his first trophy in Glasgow since a £4million move from Rapid Vienna last August.
'It's great to score the winning goal in a cup final, an unbelievable feeling,' said Jelavic. 'And then to go back to Ibrox and see so many people cheering us is something I'll never forget.
'I've never felt anything like it when I saw the ball go into the net. It's the best moment in my career.'
However, the return to league duty was punctured by frustration as Rangers lost 3-2 to Dundee United at Ibrox, thereby failing to close the gap on Celtic who remain two points ahead.
Jelavic, though, remains determined that the league title will be on its way to Ibrox.
'The cup final was a very important victory and, of course, we want to win the league,' he said.
'That is the most important prize and this can give us the confidence to do it, but we must be focused and only work game by game.'
Walter Smith admitted relief that Sunday's success had ensured there would be no repeat of the trophyless 1997-98 season, which ended his first tenure at Ibrox.
As with the current campaign, it was known he would be standing down at the end of that term.
'The last time I left Rangers, it was announced during the season and we didn't win anything,' said Smith.
'Because of that, a lot of people thought I should have kept it to myself. It is the same situation this time so, in that respect, it was good to win. It takes away that element of doubt that maybe I should have kept it to myself this time.'
Meanwhile, David Moyes has revealed he wants to offer David Weir a coaching role at Everton - if the Rangers skipper decides to hang up his boots. Weir turns 41 in May and it remains to be seen if he will play on next season.
The Scotland international is out of contract in the summer, as is Bosnian left-back Sasa Papac, 31.
Manager-in-waiting Ally McCoist also places a high value on Weir's presence, although an offer from Everton could be tempting for the veteran, whose family still live on Merseyside.
'I'd love to have him back at Everton as part of my staff,' said Moyes, a match analyst at Hampden for the BBC. 'He is a great professional.'
Weir last night admitted he was hugely flattered to hear of Moyes' offer. 'Why wouldn't you be interested in something like that,' he admitted. 'People would cut their right arm off for it.'
But he added he is not ready to make any decision on his future until the summer. 'I enjoy what I'm doing and take it day by day,' Weir said.
Rangers Off The Pitch
Rangers owner Sir David Murray has agreed a deal to sell the club to businessman Craig Whyte.
Scottish tycoon Whyte has been locked in talks for some time over Murray's 75 per cent stake with partner Andrew Ellis 
due to become a 25 per cent partner.
Whyte has brokered a deal that will see him buy their stadium Ibrox and the surrounding land along with the club's Murray Park training ground, if approved by the club's board.
The deal is expected to cost Whyte around £28million but the overall financial implications of the deal for the new owner is expected to be twice as much having given assurances that he will invest £5million in the squad in each of the next five seasons.
Whyte's investment will clear their Term loan with Lloyds Banking Group, which is believed to be in the £18million region, immediately and the other smaller loans will be cleared over time.
Whyte's offer will now be presented to Rangers' board for approval and it is expected they will ratify it due to any long-term complications that could arise due to lack of future investment.
Should the club's board give the green light to accept Whyte's deal then the SPL champions could be taken over officially this week, ending a long and uncertain period for Rangers.
Celtic
Celtic are still licking their wounds following their defeat to Rangers at Hampden this month, but they will need to get their mind firmly on the job if they want to claim the SPL's big prize this term.
And the big challenge for Neil Lennon's side this month will be the number of times they will have to take to the road, with eight away games on the card for Celtic now.
Assistant manager Johan Mjallby has been over the course before as a player and is now trading the same ground as a coach and is well aware how vital it is that his squad are mentally prepared for the challenges that lie in wait now.
Even before news of Rangers' capitulation against Dundee United reached the giant Swede's ears, he predicted taking every point was going to be a near-impossible task.
The prophetic Mjallby said: "It's going to be hard for ourselves and Rangers to win very single game we have left.
"It's not as easy as some people try to make it out to be to just go out and win games.
"I think it's still going to be that there will be points dropped. But, if that is going to be the case, we're going to have to make sure we are the team that drops the least and wins the title."
The championship is now back in Celtic's hands after Gers drew level in terms of games played but remained behind where it mattered most, in the number of points on the board.
Along with their two-point advantage, the Hoops also have superior goal difference of nine. In such a cut-throat competition, that could be highly significant.
However, with 10 SPL games to go, Mjallby is not yet looking to such fine detail. He just wants to get back into action and see his team regain the winning thread dropped when they lost the Co-op Insurance Cup final to Rangers before the break for the internationals.
"It's important for either team to try and go on a good run," said the man who has a wealth of personal experience when it comes to winning a title.
"If you do that then you are going to put pressure on the other one."
Rangers failed to turn the screw on Celtic when handed the opportunity on Saturday, and Mjallby is very grateful to emerge from what began as a very frustrating weekend for all involved with the Parkhead club still heading the SPL race.
Some subscribe to the theory that it is better to be tucked in just behind, waiting to pounce when the line comes into sight as it means the pressure is all on the front-runner.
Mjallby is not in that camp, and when asked where he would prefer Celtic to be, he answered emphatically: "I'd rather be top of the league."
A bonus for Celtic will be the fact that Neil Lennon will be in the dug-out after winning his battle with the SFA to have his second touchline ban run concurrently with his previous one.
Mjallby believes it will be a huge relief to his boss to be released from his sentence in the stand, and reckons the players will benefit from having their boss within hailing distance.
Not that the assistant manager believes they need any consoling or cajoling, despite that cup final disappointment.
"Their confidence has not had much of a dent put in it," he said.
"They still know that if they keep doing what they have been doing all season, they are a good team and the quality is there.
"We have to make sure the quality stays up there. Even if the pitches are not great, we maybe need to change the game now and then a little bit."
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