McLeish a lot happier with team's form

Published on Wednesday 29 December 2004 11:59

RANGERS manager Alex McLeish believes the Ibrox side are finally hitting top form again following a turbulent month.

They failed to take a single point from their remaining two UEFA Cup games against AZ Alkmaar and Auxerre, which saw them crash out of Europe despite being favourites to top the group at one stage.

In between, a draw against Inverness Caledonian Thistle saw them lose their place at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premierleague to Celtic again, meaning they have been forced to play catch-up over the last few weeks.

That was the scenario again this week when Celtic produced a superb Boxing Day win over Hearts but Rangers responded 24 hours later with an equally impressive 4-1 victory over Motherwell.

McLeish now insists his players are back to their best.

He said: "I thought it was as good as we’ve played for a while - I don’t think we’ve really played as well since before the Alkmaar game.

"That was the start of a wee loss of form and momentum but we played well and created a lot of chances.

"I really admire the team and where they’ve come from since September but I always felt they had it in them to string victories together and I’m delighted they responded again.

"It was a tricky fixture, Motherwell came here to try to play football and pass it well. It got nervy at 2-1 and even at 3-1 it wasn’t dead but overall I was really pleased with some of our play."

On a down side for the Ibrox manager, striker Nacho Novo must now sit out the next two league games against Dundee United and Dunfermline through suspension.