Fortune favours a brave keeper. Goram plugs the holes in a rocky Rangers defence

The Scotland international keeper confirmed his magnificent current

form against Partick Thistle in the 2-0 win at Firhill with two great

saves and one that came into the incredible category. In this mood, it

will take something special from the Greeks to beat him.

Like all goalies when they are in form, Goram is carrying some good

fortune. Alex Taylor would be the first to back that statement. He hit

one of the best shots all afternoon, bending it with the side of his

foot so successfully that it left Goram stranded on his line before

hitting the bar and bouncing away.

There is nothing you can do to cope with the predestined. But his

team-mate, Isaac English, thought he had managed a genuine moment of

defiance when he attempted to nullify the unfortunate own goal of his

colleague David Byrne in the first half.

The chance had come to him after a Richard Gough clearance was knocked

straight back into the penalty area and bounced off a defender to him.

English turned and hit the ball to the left of Goram, who was only a few

yards away. Remarkably, the goalkeeper instinctively threw his right arm

down and managed to get a hand to the ball, pushing it out of danger. It

was a save that left English devastated and the rest of us

flabbergasted.

The keeper, Brian Laudrup and Mark Hateley were all major contributors

to a win that was only just earned against a Thistle side which might

have come up with a surprise if they had been a little more fortunate

and Goram had been elsewhere.

Laudrup was well subdued in the first half, but he made some telling

interventions after the break, in particular the run which ended with a

chip to the far post for the Hateley goal which secured the three

points.

But the most influential Ibrox player was Stuart McCall, who is

beginning to recapture the form that has won him so many admirers. In

the kind of game that is the norm when one of the Old Firm is challenged

at Firhill, his energy and ability to match physical strength with

intelligent running are invaluable.

But even in the different kind of contest that will ensue at Ibrox

against the Greeks his style will be important. If Rangers lack a Ray

Wilkins or Trevor Steven, unless he recovers in time, the midfield has

to be compensated with energy and skill of the type McCall provides. His

youthful aide, Craig Moore, is made of similar stuff but, as an

Australian, is likely to miss the European tie because of the

three-foreigner rule.

Thistle do not have any of these elite concerns, but they gave their

fans a worthy afternoon's work, with Derek McWilliams and Chic Charnley

major players for them in different ways. Overall, though, it was

teamwork and determination which served manager John Lambie well, even

if he felt disappointed at the outcome. ''I felt Rangers were there for

the taking and we didn't do it,'' he said. ''We opened them up so many

times it wasn't true.''

That may have been a slight exaggeration, but there was no doubt the

Ibrox defence looked oddly uncomfortable at times. Gough had a lot of

work to do to maintain a steady line, but the problem may be the unusual

style of his new colleague, Basile Boli.

The Frenchman is a great player and will no doubt prove that in his

time in Scotland, but for the moment he seems at times to be playing to

the gallery, rather than concentrating on the job in hand. The game can

do with all the characters it can find, but maybe Basile needs to learn

the Scottish game first before he indulges himself.

He suffered his first yellow card since coming to Glasgow after a

lunging tackle on Roddy Grant early on but, to his credit, retained his

sense of perspective and did not let himself down again. Grant said

later that he felt Boli, like Paul Elliot when he came to Celtic, would

suffer a lot of bookings in his first season before settling down.

He is certain to be a favourite with the fans and he has some

endearing touches. For example, he waved the Thistle trainer on to

attend to an injured player before the referee had reached the scene.

Basile rules, okay.

Rangers took the lead after only eight minutes when a Moore throw-in

was volleyed across goal, where Byrne instinctively stuck out a leg and

steered it over his own line.

That stayed the situation until Laudrup, who had already brought out a

fine save from Craig Nelson, went on a meandering run before crossing

from the right to the ubiquitous Hateley. That ended a gallant stand by

the Jags, but they still look capable of testing any side in this

league.