Rangers v Aberdeen: Craig Brown urges Aberdeen supporters to go easy on Sone Aluko

RANGERS versus Aberdeen clashes have long been considered to contain an extra spice, even though the clubs cannot now be termed title rivals.

Craig Brown’s plea for the Aberdeen fans to acknowledge what Sone Aluko did for the club during his Aberdeen days is therefore likely to fall on deaf ears, for the visiting supporters will seek to make life as uncomfortable as possible for the Ibrox winger. Nevertheless, Brown urged them to desist from being “offensive” to him on a day when David Weir is also set to make a public farewell to the home supporters, following his decision to walk away from the last six months of his Ibrox contract. It will likely be an emotional and passionate afternoon, though Brown wants Aberdeen to focus on obtaining a first victory at Ibrox in over two decades.

“It is not uncommon to play against players who used to play for you, that happens quite regularly and Sone is no exception,” said Brown, with reference to Aluko, who left Aberdeen when his contract ended in the summer and joined Rangers in November. “He is a popular guy and a likeable lad so I don’t think there will be any animosity. There will be a determination, of course, to show that we are as good as or better than he is. I would ask the fans, although I don’t think the Aberdeen fans would be offensive to him, to not be critical because he gave good service here. You’ve got to wish him well in his career and not be churlish about it. I’m hoping the fans won’t give him a hard time and simply acknowledge what he did for Aberdeen.”

Brown could be more likely to get that elusive Ibrox win than see – or hear – his words heeded by the visiting fans. Much is made of Aberdeen’s struggles in Govan, where they haven’t tasted victory since a 2-0 win in September 1991. “It is the self-fulfilling prophecy,” said Brown. “If we keep telling ourselves that it is impossible to win there, that is what will happen. It is not impossible, far from it,” he continued. “If the players believe they can do it, there is more chance of us doing it. Any negativity will not be in my mind, and will not be in the players’ minds, when they go out there at Ibrox.

“I wouldn’t say it is unacceptable but I would say it is disappointing that we have not won there for so long. No team has gone there and not tried to win. We had a great chance at 1-0 last time when we hit the bar and we took the game to Rangers. I am not in fear of the Old Firm, far from it. I have had much tougher games than this. We must go positively to the game.”

Ibrox manager Ally McCoist was keen to concentrate on the positives yesterday as his side seek to build on a run of three successive victories. Although Weir will bid farewell to the Ibrox fans McCoist hopes the prospect of welcoming new signings will prevent the home fans becoming too maudlin. Mervan Celik completed his move to Rangers yesterday, though the Swedish midfielder won’t feature in the team plans today. A deal to bring Enaar Jaager, the Estonian full-back, is also set to be confirmed next week.

“It gives everybody a boost,” said McCoist yesterday. “It freshens the place up, it gives you a bit of freshness. The most important thing is when the players come in, they are really positive and they bring something to the party.”

With Fran Sandaza, the St Johnstone forward, having rejected Rangers’ offer of a pre-contract deal, McCoist assured fans that the search is still on for a striker. “We are certainly still looking in the forward area, I don’t think there is any doubt about that,” he said.

Allan McGregor, meanwhile, is likely to reclaim his place in goal from Neil Alexander’s for this afternoon’s clash. The ‘keeper came through training unscathed yesterday after recovering from a thigh problem. “He’s okay, he trained the last couple of days,” said McCoist. “He didn’t do a lot of kicking, but he’s back in the swing of things and he certainly feels a good bit better, so he’s back in contention.”

• Rangers have announced two changes in the boardroom at Ibrox. Andrew Ellis, who at one stage was a possible bidder for the club when Sir David Murray was trying to sell, has been appointed a non-executive director with immediate effect. he is already a director of the Rangers FC Group. Meanwhile, Phil Betts has resigned as a director of the football club having only been on board since Craig Whyte’s takeover last year.