AT Rangers

PAUL Ritchie could not have made a worse start to his Rangers career. He scored an own goal in the club's opening match of the pre-season tour, against Gent in Belgium, followed that up by conceding a penalty in Germany against Bocholt, and was issued with the inaugural #50 fine for latecoming by Dick Advocaat.

Legend has it that bad news comes in threes, but the luckless defender managed to go one better. Having been kept abreast of the preparation via his manager, chairman David Murray - during a conversation with Ritchie's agent, Jim McArthur - jokingly asked for a wage rebate for the Scotland internationalist, who joined in the summer on a Bosman transfer from Bolton Wanderers.

Already, he has discovered to his cost that the champions' dressing room is an unforgiving environment, but despite suffering a welter of light-hearted abuse from his new team-mates, Ritchie is relieved his mistakes have been made before the start of the serious stuff.

''I have not had the greatest of starts, but I'd rather make my mistakes here than in an Old Firm game, because then I would be in trouble,'' he said with a wry smile.

''The boys have given me a hard time about it, and even the chairman has been on to my agent asking for a rebate.''

Ritchie's summer holiday was spent recuperating from a hernia operation he required after his former club were knocked out of the first division play-offs at the semi-final stage.

Like any new player, Ritchie has been guilty of trying too hard to impress his new manager but considering the competition for places at Ibrox this season, in particular among the central defenders, it is understandable that he took the series more seriously than some of the establish members of the squad.

Craig Moore and Dutchman Bert Konterman are widely expected to be the manager's first-choice partnership come the big kick-off, and with captain Lorenzo Amoruso due to return from injury shortly, unless he can find another club in the meantime, plus Scott Wilson and Tony Vidmar vying for places, Ritchie realises the enormity of the task ahead.

Although last season Advocaat was keen to play his strongest team whenever possible, the increasing number of matches both domestically and, he hopes, in Europe, it is likely that his squad strengthening this summer was with a view to a squad rotation system.

The former Hearts centre half has accepted the fact that he will be used sparingly in his first season and, accordingly, has set some long-term goals, but, in the meantime, he will not be content to pick up a healthy weekly wage for little in return.

''There are five players battling for two positions, but I will give it my best shot,'' he said. ''The quality of player at the club is phenomenal and it is going to be hard for people to play every week, but you have to be prepared to sit out sometimes.

''I have been training with better players, so my game will benefit from that over a period of time.

''This is a great move for me, and I don't think I could have gone to a better club.

''It's part and parcel of any big squad to have competition. I was never first choice at Hearts, but now I am with a better team and that brings with it greater competition . . . but I am not scared of the challenge.''

Already, he has been impressed by the manager's methods, including the punishing schedule in Holland of training in the morning with a match at night, and can testify to Advocaat's infamous hard-line approach.

''It has been a hard summer, especially after my hernia operation, and I am glad to be taking part in games. I might be a little bit behind the rest of the guys in terms of match fitness, but I haven't been playing catch-up in training, which has been more controlled than it was at Hearts. The manager has set aims here, and it is completely different to what I was used to.

''I am definitely enjoying it.''

Michael Mols certainly enjoyed his return from serious injury, scoring twice during 90 minutes of action spread over two matches, but after undergoing a minor clean-up operation to remove scar tissue from his left knee in Amsterdam yesterday morning, the Dutchman revealed his frustration at the setback in his comeback.

He is expected to be out for up to six weeks, missing the Champions League second and third preliminary round ties, which leaves Rangers with a striking predicament.

Rangers chairman David Murray has tabled a #6.5m bid for Belgian striker Emile Mpenza, but his Bundesliga club, Schalke 04, are holding out for #8m, and unless the two clubs can reach an agreement, it is likely Advocaat will begin the season with a partnership of Rod Wallace and Billy Dodds, unless he can find another goalscorer before the first European transfer deadline at the end of the month.

Mols, however, will have to wait patiently for his return to competitive action, and he said: ''There are worse things in the world, but I was this close to getting back into the team and then I found out I was going to need more surgery.

''It is a little blow because my targets were to start the season and play more games than last time. I was fit for pre-season, but I will have to wait maybe another month now before I can play again.

''The reaction wasn't that bad at first, but, then, when I started walking after games and training the knee felt strange, so I knew I would have to get it checked out, because while it will be okay in friendly matches, you cannot play with this kind of thing in big European matches, you have to be at your best.

''My condition is not bad. I can do all the things the rest of the guys do in in training and I won't need another pre-season, it will just be a case of improving my sharpness.''

After every match on the tour of his homeland, Mols was mobbed by hordes of well-wishers of all ages and he admitted the support he received during his long lay-off, not least the rousing reception during the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park, when he reluctantly took to the pitch to join in the celebrations, gave him the inspiration.

''I never played a game in the Scottish Cup, and because I only played three or four months of the league, I didn't feel part of the success, but the support from the fans was unbelievable.

''They never forgot me, and to hear them at the cup final was great . . . but I would much rather have been on the pitch and playing.

''Hopefully, for me and the team, we will still be in the Champions League when I come back again.''