'You don't win a title without a wee bit of grief'

The Rangers manager Alex McLeish has insisted he has no plans to emulate his mentor Sir Alex Ferguson by trying to tempt Celtic manager Martin O'Neill into playing championship mind games.

McLeish dubbed Ferguson "king of the run-in", with both meanings of that particular phrase fitting the often-abrasive Manchester United manager perfectly. Ferguson's baiting of the brittle Kevin Keegan a few seasons ago became legendary when the then Newcastle manager lost his cool in an interview. And he has engaged in many a war of words with the more sanguine Arsène Wenger in title jousts with Arsenal.

Rangers travel to Dundee today in one of the tightest championship races for some years but McLeish indicated he preferred a more diplomatic style than the manager who led him and his team-mates to many a success at Aberdeen. He said: "He's the king of the run-in and it was watch and learn for me over the years but I'm sure Martin O'Neill has been watching and learning over the years too.

"I think you have got to do your talking on the pitch. I can't really recall how we went into run-ins at Aberdeen. I just remember we had good players, who were strong mentally and that's important. He is in pole position in England and you would have to fancy him."

Rangers could have established an 11-point lead last week by beating Celtic but ended up losing 2-1. McLeish said: "We would have loved to have clinched it or made it much more difficult last week, but they got the breaks. We take that on the chin and move on, very much remembering the performances and consistency that has got us where we are.

"We now have a tough game which we have to put the blinkers on for. Losing hurt the players and if it hadn't I would have been shocked. You don't win a championship without a wee bit of grief. We have won nothing yet and Celtic have won nothing yet."

Meanwhile, midfielder Mikel Arteta is back to full fitness and keen to make a mark in the final five games. The Spaniard came on as a substitute on Sunday following a hamstring problem and returned unscathed after appearing for his country's Under-21 side in a 1-0 win over Australia.

Dundee's manager, Jim Duffy, believes the presence of television cameras will lift his side. Duffy is determined his players are not accused of saving themselves for the Tennent's Scottish Cup final against the Treble-seeking Rangers on 31 May.

He was disappointed to see his side's impressive 14-match unbeaten run come to an abrupt end with the defeat to Kilmarnock last weekend but he rejected suggestions some of his players had started to wind down already.

The Dark Blues are under no pressure any more with a Uefa Cup place guaranteed after reaching the final, so the manager is expecting his players to play a more free, attacking game. He said: "The focus is going to be on us and I expect the players to respond to that. It could work in our favour because everyone at the club is desperate to show we play good football here at Dundee. We lost last weekend and although it was disappointing to see the unbeaten run come to an end, there is no real pressure on us, so we can relax."

Duffy welcomes Georgian pair Zura Khizanishvili and Georgi Nemsadze back into his squad after they missed last weekend's defeat to play in their country's match with Russia. Although the pair were tired after their midweek exertions, Duffy expects the adrenalin of winning a game of such magnitude to carry the players into the match with Rangers.

The Scottish Football Association chief executive David Taylor has given public backing to the embattled national team manager Berti Vogts. The German has lost nine of his 13 games in a 15-month spell that has seen the Scots slip below Guatemala in the Fifa rankings.

Taylor insisted that sacking Vogts was not an option. "Berti was signed for two qualification campaigns by design at the outset," he said. "We knew we might not get to Euro 2004 and he might need time. Results and performances matter but bear in mind the contract is for four years not two. It would be daft to sack Berti in the middle of a campaign."