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    Le Guen wants to make his mark

    DISCIPLINARIAN: Captain Dado Prso thinks that new Rangers boss Paul Le Guen is tough enough to adjust to Scottish soccer as the new season gets ready to kick off

    AFP, GLASGOW
    Saturday, Jul 29, 2006, Page 18

    Paul Le Guen's new regime at Rangers has already resulted in the players being banned from eating curries at their favorite Indian restaurant in Glasgow.

    But Dado Prso is confident there will be no lack of spice in the Ibrox side's performances this season as they seek to wrest the Scottish Premier League (SPL) title back from Celtic under the guidance of the disciplinarian Frenchman.

    "We are ready to fight," Prso vowed as he prepared for this weekend's start to what promises to be an intriguing three-way SPL title battle with champions Celtic and last season's runners-up, Hearts.

    With Scotland midfielder Barry Ferguson still recovering from ankle surgery Prso will captain Rangers for tomorrow's opener at Motherwell, and the Croatian striker underlined the importance of a positive start to the Le Guen era.

    "Last season we achieved a lot for the club in the Champions League," he said. "We were the first Scottish club to reach the knockout stage and that was a very important step for us. But our home form definitely suffered. This season we are prepared for the fight on every front and everyone is focused on winning the SPL title."

    Le Guen has already made his mark at Ibrox. As well as the Arsene Wenger-style attention to details such as what his players are eating on their nights out, the former Lyon boss has signaled a tough line on indiscipline by sending Fernando Ricksen home from a pre-season tour and transformed the squad with nine close season signings.

    Prso has been impressed. "I've had a good feeling about the manager and I hope we can achieve success together," he said. "He has a great track record and I don't see any reason why he can't continue that at Ibrox.

    Prso admits that some of the Rangers new boys, who include the highly rated young French prospect Jeremy Clement and Czech midfielder Libor Sionko, will suffer a bit of culture shock when they get their first taste of the SPL's full-blooded style at Fir Park tomorrow.

    "I remember my debut -- against Aberdeen -- and I was so shocked that the referee didn't give free-kicks when they would have done in France. That takes a bit of getting used to but I'm doing my best to prepare the new signings."

    "The game here is allowed to flow more and it is much faster. In France, you can get your breath back every now and then but here it is 100 percent. There are many other things but the manager knows what he is doing and I'm sure we will all be fully prepared for Sunday's game," Prso added.

    Rangers will be without winger Chris Burke, who is recovering from an ankle knock, and suspended striker Kris Boyd for the trip to Motherwell.

    Celtic kick off the defense of their title at home to Kilmarnock today on the back of a decidedly mixed pre-season, which culminated in an embarrassing 3-0 defeat by a second string Manchester United side in midweek.

    A failure to create chances has been the main problem, but manager Gordon Strachan is not about to press the panic button.

    "I will tell you in five or six weeks if it really concerns me," he said. "You never know until the season starts. We didn't score many goals in pre-season and didn't play particularly well last year -- and we won the league by 20 points."
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