Rangers unhappy with McCulloch ban

RANGERS appeared to question Lee McCulloch's sending off in Tuesday night's Old Firm derby which has seen the midfielder hit with a three-match ban.

McCulloch saw red for a second bookable offence after sliding in on Aiden McGeady in the closing stages of Celtic's 2-1 win at Parkhead.

In confirming the midfielder's suspension for the opening two matches of next season on their official website, Rangers claimed McCulloch "made little contact" with McGeady.

McCulloch will miss Sunday's final game of the campaign against Motherwell and next term's opening two matches.

That is because his two yellow cards took him over the 18 penalty points threshold. Team-mates Kevin Thomson and Kris Boyd, meanwhile, will be walking a disciplinary tightrope if they feature on Sunday.

Midfielder Thomson's booking took him to 15 penalty points. A three-point yellow card against Motherwell would trigger an automatic two-match ban, starting with the opening game of next season. Boyd is sitting on 17 penalty points and a yellow card for any offence would mean a one-match ban for the striker.

Should Boyd leave Rangers for a club in England this summer, any suspension would be imposed by the Football Association in England.

Meanwhile, Rangers have been boosted by the news that Allan McGregor's injury is not as serious as first feared.

However, the Scottish champions are still unsure as to how long the goalkeeper will need to recover.

The 28-year-old was carried off after just five minutes at Celtic Park after twisting his right knee. Manager Walter Smith said afterwards he had damaged his medial ligament.

According to the club's website, it was decided not to send McGregor to hospital on Tuesday and he was seen by a specialist yesterday morning who assessed the damage.

The injury has been described as "significant" but not as severe as first thought and he will now be monitored closely by the Rangers medical team over the coming days.