Rangers are willing but unable

RANGERS had to endure another hard night in Europe in a contest where willingness rather than wit was their main weapon. For most of the match, it was an inadequate tool, and allowed Thomas Deniaud to poach a two goal lead for Auxerre before Paul Gascoigne pulled one back 20 minutes from the end.

The Scottish champions' determination to impose themselves on a crucial match was manifest in the first 15 minutes when they put their opponents under unrelenting pressure.

But to the disappointment of the home crowd, their early efforts failed to bear fruit, even if there were a couple of anxious moments for a French defence still trying to familiarise themselves with each other's play.

In the absence of their regular central defensive partnership of Silvestre and Zelic, Auxerre had to play the largely unrehearsed combination of West and Danjou, and Rangers tried to upset them as early as possible.

The first to trouble Charbonnier was Paul Gascoigne with a wickedly struck free kick from the right which the goalkeeper failed to hold at his near post and conceded a corner.

Gascoigne had another opportunity soon afterwards from Laudrup's impeccable right wing centre, but in trying to place the ball deliberately away to the far post the England midfielder merely sent it across the six yard box to Danjou, who cleared.

Rangers' lack of success during that period swelled Auxerre's confidence, and by the time Saib had their first shot at goal, the ball drifting wide from 30 yards, the French champions had begun to carry the game further forward.

But the impression remained that they lacked conviction, almost as if they were a little worried that slapping Rangers on the face would bring painful retaliation.

Gough almost opened the scoring with a powerful, accurate header from Albertz's cross which beat Charbonnier to his left, but was cleared from the goal line by Lamouchi.

The intensity of confrontations in these games leads almost inevitably to misdemeanours, and four players were cautioned during the first half Diomede and Violeau of Auxerre and Gascoigne and Moore of Rangers.

Even before the strike Deniaud gave Auxerre the lead after 54 minutes, it was impossible to escape the impression that the French team, perhaps during the interval, had convinced themselves that they could do some damage.

There was a confidence about their forward surges which had not been there before. Diomede typified this more positive attitude when he held the ball on the left long enough to tease Moore into the challenge and skipped past him before delivering the ball to the head of Deniaud who, from 10 yards, glanced it away to the left of Goram and into the net.

Diomede could have scored soon afterwards, too, when he was released by a perfectly weighted lob from Saib and bore down on Goram. The left foot shot from 15 yards would have left the goalkeeper helpless, but it was inches out and the ball bounced off the outside of the post.

But what was already a dark night became even blacker for Rangers in the 68th minute when Deniaud added his second. A corner from the right landed on the head of the big forward and, unchallenged, he simply nodded it over the line from four yards.

Gascoigne brought a little light just three minutes later, however, when he rose to Laudrup's centre from the right and, from 12 yards, bulleted a header into Charbonnier's left hand corner.

But despite a first appearance of the season of Dane Erik Bo Andersen, coming on as substitute, Rangers couldn't get a second goal and the match petered out, with Auxerre's Goma and Taribo West also booked.