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Your support makes all the difference.Alex McLeish saw the clock turned back yesterday, but not in the way he wanted. The Rangers manager's attempt to restore his team's title ambitions foundered on the first day of the Scottish Premier League season, as Pittodrie rediscovered the passion it knew when McLeish played here.
Alex McLeish saw the clock turned back yesterday, but not in the way he wanted. The Rangers manager's attempt to restore his team's title ambitions foundered on the first day of the Scottish Premier League season, as Pittodrie rediscovered the passion it knew when McLeish played here.
The man who was the defensive rock of the Aberdeen side that won the Cup Winners' Cup two decades ago would have noted that it was not just the partisan environment that recreated the glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson. The heir to McLeish's No 5 shirt, teenager Zander Diamond, shone as he defied Ran-gers in a frantic second-half.
Spilling points early is a luxury Rangers cannot afford after finishing 17 points behind Celtic last season. "We can't drop many if we want to be champions," McLeish said. "But we faced a side keen to impress their new boss and a packed house like the old days."
Aberdeen's new manager, Jimmy Calderwood, joined the acclaim at the end as Pittodrie greeted the morale-boosting draw for the SPL team with the poorest home record last term like a victory.
"Aberdeen have lost their confidence in recent years but we had desire in abundance today," said Calderwood. "Diamond may be a rough diamond but he can go a long way." Calderwood described Aberdeen as a "sleeping giant" in his programme notes and there is little doubt that his infectious enthusiasm has rubbed off on the local public in his short time in the north-east since leaving Dunfermline Athletic just days after leading them to the Scottish Cup final in May.
Pittodrie was almost full for the first time in nine years and the raucous backing given by the home fans provided a fitting backdrop to a contest that was always volatile. This was underlined when Alex Rae - one of seven new signings for Rangers - was involved in a flare-up with Noel Whelan, the former Leeds and Middlesbrough striker.
However, it was the visitors who dominated the first half with their pace and movement and they ought to have enjoyed a lead to go with their territorial control. But Peter Loven-krands squandered a glorious chance after just eight minutes when he seized on a long ball from Gregory Vignal but struck his lob over goalkeeper David Preece too firmly.
Dado Prso made Preece work much harder on the half hour as the striker met a fine cross from Rae and powered in a header that Preece pushed over the bar. Aberdeen, in contrast, were barely seen as an attacking force. It was not until the dying embers of the half that Scott Severin provided their first shot on target.
Despite losing Chris Burke - he was taken off on a stretcher off after fainting from dehydration - Rangers continued the one-way traffic towards Preece after the interval. Then Diamond came into his own. The 19-year-old defender produced a remarkable last-gasp tackle to deny Prso just before the hour after Novo had chested Rae's pass into the striker's path. When the roles were reversed 13 minutes from the end, Novo was poised to profit from his Croatian partner's vision but Diamond again snuffed out the little striker.
As Rangers turned the screw, Vignal cut Aberdeen open with a fine cross that Lovenkrands headed against the bar. It bounced down but no one could finish off the loose ball. Fortune then mocked the Dane two minutes from the end as he beat Preece with an angled shot only to see Phil McGuire execute a dramatic goal-line clearance.
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