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| MITCH: I'LL KILL OFF MY OLD BOSS' EURO DREAM |
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| © Carlo Ramos 2004 csmaritimo@yahoo.co.uk "Viva Marítimo Online" is 100% unofficial and as a result the views expressed throughout this website do not reflect or effect those of CS Marítimo or Marítimo da Madeira S.A.D. |
| Saturday 18 September 2004 |
| The last time Mitchell van der Gaag played at Ibrox he silenced 50,000 fans by spoiling their title party.
Now the Marítimo defender is looking to stage a repeat performance in the second leg of the UEFA Cup tie against Rangers. Even if it means costing his former boss Alex McLeish his job. The Dutchman was part of the Motherwell side who stalled Rangers nine-in-a-row party in May 1997 by winning 2-0 at Ibrox on the day the flag could have been won. And sentiment won't come into it this time. Van der Gaag said: "I am grateful to Alex for bringing me into Scottish football when he was in charge of Motherwell. But there can be no old pals' act when Marítimo have the chance to upset the odds in the UEFA Cup. I know Alex is under pressure because of results but he will understand that strain goes with the territory when you're in charge of the team. We lost our coach after losing the first game of this season because this is a results-driven business. " Van der Gaag was outstanding in defence during the 1-0 win over Rangers but he doesn't take it for granted that the Portuguese are now in the driving seat in this tie. He said: "I think Rangers remain the favourites to go through at Ibrox. It will be a totally different game to the first 90 minutes. But Marítimo have a good, attacking side and it is easier for us to play against the bigger names in Europe. When the game is more open you can see we have good players. I thought we did ourselves proud against Rangers and we have nothing to lose in the return leg. The pressure is firmly on Rangers while we have gained in confidence." The Rangers fans who vented their anger towards McLeish and his players objected to being behind on aggregate to a side from holiday island who are little known beyond the borders of their own country. Van der Gaag was one of only a few in their team who would have understood what was being chanted about them being no better than an amateur team. He said: "We aren't very well known in Europe and that is a simple fact. But getting into the group stage of the competition is very important for us." Going beyond the first round and gaining access to millions of pounds in additional revenue is crucial to Rangers. But Van der Gaag can see the potential for the kind of shock he helped create on the day when two Owen Coyle goals for Motherwell put Rangers' title-winning party on hold until they won at Tannadice three days later. He said: "Maybe we were lucky in the first half because of the number of chances Rangers missed. But then we surprised them with our play. We have to believe we can score at Ibrox in the return leg as well, otherwise what is the point in travelling to Scotland? We should have scored a second goal to give ourselves an even better advantage for the next game, but we can still do it." Hugh Keevins (www.dailyrecord.co.uk) Discuss this story and others at the CS Marítimo Online forums - www.csmaritimo-online.com. |