Rangers are left singing the blues at Hampden

stifling malaise long before Hugh Dallas blew on his whistle for the

last time in last night's Coca-Cola Cup semi-final at a windswept and

saturated Hamdpen. As the Ibrox side's players tried in vain to catch up

with Aberdeen they looked only like 11 discarded blue wrappers being

scattered in the wind.

Rangers lacked composure, they were without flair, and for most of the

game seemed they seemed devoid even of the spirit which has become a

significant part of their success in recent times.

Aberdeen, on the other hand, took the first half to wind up and almost

from the first kick of the ball in the second half they were in control.

They were the only side who looked likely to score and their midfield,

with Eoin Jess superb and Stephen Glass not far behind, found gaps in

Rangers defences and Andy Goram was soon exposed.

Billy Dodds, the Pittodrie side's top scorer last season, did what he

does best and beat Goram twice in the second half. Although Rangers

presented a more serious if not exactly coherent threat towards the end

of the tie they had left it too late. Oleg Salenko's goal was sweetly

taken, but the Dons would not be denied.

Roy Aitken's team, whose cup record against Rangers in Glasgow gave

them no cause at all for hope, must have been buoyed tremendously when

they received their copy of the opposition's starting 11 just before

kick-off. They knew, of course, of Rangers' much publicised injuries,

but added to the list of wounded last night was Richard Gough.

Could it have been a mistake, a cruel prank perhaps? If there were any

doubts they were dispelled when the teams came together in the tunnel.

Standing at the head of the Rangers' line, where Gough would normally

be, was Ally McCoist.

It was, then, a thin blue line which emerged into a foul night when

the wind would test the new structures of the national stadium and the

tumbling rain the drainage system. In some places players walked in

water, but only one or two in red jerseys came close to walking on it.

Walter Smith turned to a grizzled Ibrox veteran, John Brown, who has

started out on a new career in coaching, and positioned him at the heart

of the three-man defensive system with Craig Moore and Gordan Petric on

either side, but even though the shape of the defence would be altered a

few times before the match had run its course, no-one ever looked

comfortable in his work.

Moore would be relieved in the second half when Ian Durrant was sent

on in the hope of introducing some touch and vision and Alan McLaren,

who was off the pace in midfield, dropped back. The Dons, though, were

racing towards glory and a cup final place which confirms their

rehabilitation from last season's nightmare.

They played with the belief which had deserted them last season and

after having struggled along with Rangers to come to terms with the

wretched conditions, they settled into a fluent style of play which

pulled their opponents apart. By the time Rangers' supporters who

accounted for the bulk of the 26,131 crowd, had started to shuffle

towards the exits the Scottish champions were a team well beaten.

Paul Gascoigne, who had tried hard in the first half, disappeared when

Aberdeen got down to serious work and instead of producing his subtle

skills the English internationalist allowed anger and frustration to

take over. He was one of three Rangers player -- Brown and Gordon Durie

were the two others -- booked while Paul Bernard was the only Aberdeen

player cautioned.

Rangers must begin immediately to find something positive in another

unacceptable performance.

Yet, Rangers could have gone ahead after only a matter of seconds when

Durie, playing forward on the left, slipped the ball to McCoist, but the

stand-in captain was caught off-balance and his shot flew just wide of

Michael Watt's left-hand post.

Durie had a couple of surges down the left, but he made little of the

opportunities and a scrappy first half was easily forgotten. Aberdeen

were a different side entirely when they returned after the break and

they moved ahead in 51 minutes.

Jess scampered through the midfield zone, perhaps covering 35 yards

without being closed down, and then played the ball through to Dodds. He

was pressured by Brown but the ball bounced off one of the defender's

knees and Dodds and Goram were engaged in pursuit. Dodds won and

squeezed his shot between the keeper's legs and into the net.

From then on Aberdeen played some neat football with Jess, Glass, and

Bernard, who is settling in well, knocking the ball around.

Occasionally, however, Michael Watt, who has bad memories of keeping

goal against Rangers, looked uncertain and caused a degree of panic

among his defenders, but when the Dons scored their second in 69 minutes

theycould relax.

Bernard took possession on the left and brought Glass into play

allowing the youngster to deliver a cross from the left to the far post

where Dodds was waiting unchallenged. He had difficulty tracking the

flightpath in the floodlights, but he still managed to make good contact

and his downward header was true.

Confidence and class oozed through Aberdeen's midfield work and their

defence was able to cope with most of Rangers' attacks although

McLaren's deflected shot late in the game caused concern. The ball

skidded narrowly wide of Watt's goal, but Rangers did score after Alexei

Mikhailichenko had taken over from Alex Cleland.

McCoist played a ball wide to Salenko and he directed his shot into

the net from an angle. It was a flash of quality play, but not enough to

thwart Aberdeen, who took off Joe Miller and sent on Peter Hetherston

six minutes from time.

RANGERS -- Goram, Wright, Brown, Moore, McLaren, Petric, Cleland,

Gascoigne, McCoist, Salenko, Durie. Substitutes -- Durrant,

Mikhailichenko, Murray.

ABERDEEN -- Watt, McKimmie, Glass, Grant, Inglis, Smith, Miller,

Bernard, Booth, Dodds, Jess. Substitutes -- Shearer, Hetherston,

Snelders.

Referee -- H Dallas (Motherwell).