Fruitful night to be a Fergie at Ibrox

That and ancillary arrangements should allow the midfield man, signed from St Mirren for #1m in 1988, to pick a tidy #500,000 to help him into retirement, even if that seems a distance away yet. Rangers manager Dick Advocaat would be content with his side's final warm-up for their Champions' League meeting with Finnish side Haka, who beat Faroe Isles opponents FC Torshavn 6-0 for a 7-1 aggregate.

In fact, the manager admitted that there was still a little sharpness to be found by next week but was on the whole very pleased with the team's performance. As far as meeting Haka, he said: ''We expected them to come through the tie. They are the top team in Finland, having lost only once in 17 games. We will have to be fully committed to get a good result.

''However, I have been hearing stories about what their coach has been saying and I think that will fire up our players - but I like that.'' Haka coach Keith Armstrong had indicated that Rangers looked ''poor'' in their game against Rosenborg and clearly his words have got through to the Ibrox dressing-room, but Sunderland manager Peter Reid described Rangers as ''a quality side with excellent movement.''

The only new faces on view last night were Dariusz Adamczuk, who did well enough on his debut, and Dutch striker Michael Mols, who did a lot of smart running and linked up well with Giovanni van Bronckhorst in particular. Stefan Klos had a fine game in goal, while Arthur Numan looked close to his fittest and best again.

Barry Ferguson opened the scoring in the first-half, to be followed by an own goal from Steve Bould. Van Bronckhorst knocked in the third after the break and Kevin Phillips gave the Sunderland fans some consolation with a goal late on.

First, Ferguson, accompanied by his wife and two daughters, received a tumultuous welcome when he walked on to the park before the beginning. . . and maybe even louder at the end, after which he described it as ''the best experience I have ever had in football''.

However, it was his namesake, Barry, who shone in the early stages when he looked back in the confident form that had characterised his play in the first half of last season. It was he who defied the run of play to put his team into the lead after 22 minutes.

Before that, even his fine prompting, allied to some smart interplay with such as Jorg Albertz and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, was not enough to produce any real opportunities against a well-organised Sunderland defence. In contrast, the Teeside team were able to create a couple of very decent chances in front of Klos.

First, Chris Lumsdon hesitated after a long ball from the right left him with a clean scoring opening. The midfield man delayed long enough for Craig Moore to race across and block his shot. Their second opening was an even better chance and this time it landed at the feet of striker Niall Quinn, but, with ample time to take aim, he managed to shoot past the far post.

He was shown exactly how to place a shot by Barry Ferguson, who picked up the ball on the left, meandered across the edge of the penalty area and sent a right-foot shot inside the left-hand post, leaving Thomas Soronson stranded.

Sunderland continued to cause problems none the less, but they did damage at the wrong end to put Rangers two in front. Barry Ferguson laid the ball across to the left, where Arthur Numan sent in a deep, awkward ball towards the running Rod Wallace. Former Arsenal defender Bould, with on eye on the striker, leaned forward and met it with his head, only to watch in anguish as it went over his goalkeeper's arms into the net.

The substitutes were introduced in rapid order after about 10 minutes of the second-half, first Claudio Reyna replacing Barry Ferguson, then Barry Nicholson and Jonatan Johansson for Adamczuk and Albertz. Sunderland followed suit, with Holloway and Wainwright replacing Gray and Summerbee.

In 65 minutes, however, Rangers produced a telling thrust to go further ahead. Van Bronckhorst laid the ball out to Mols, who jinked inside and pushed the ball back ahead of his fellow Dutchman, who steered it wide of Soronson.

Sergio Porrini was given a big roar as he came on for Craig Moore, but the biggest cheer was reserved for the man of the night, Ian Ferguson, when he came off to be replaced by Tony Vidmar.

The sizeable crowd of Sunderland fans who were in the Broomloan Stand finally had something to cheer when Phillips at last scored after a 1-2 with Danny Dichio, who had replaced Quinn.

RANGERS - Klos, Adamczuk, Moore, Wilson, Numan, B Ferguson, Wallace, I Ferguson, Mols, Van Bronckhorst, Albertz. Substitutes - Reyna, Amato, Niemi, Johansson, Nicholson, Porrini, Vidmar.

SUNDERLAND - Soronson, Makin, Gray, Ball, Bould, Butler, Summerbee, Lumsdon, Quinn, Phillips, Fredgaard. Substitutes -Dichio, Marriott, Holloway, Wainwright, Craddock, Helmar, McCann.

Referee - Bobby Orr (Kilbrachan).