Football: Advocaat advocates ruthless approach

DICK ADVOCAAT, the Rangers coach, has urged his side to find a nasty streak as they bid to extend their European campaign into the year 2000.

The Ibrox club take on Borussia Dortmund in the Uefa Cup tonight still licking their wounds from their Champions' League exit earlier this month. Advocaat feels his side are still some way short of challenging for the major honours and he believes lessons must also be learned in their approach to matches.

"We are too kind sometimes," the Dutchman said. "When we lost against Bayern Munich in the Champions' League, they disrupted the play by staying down at every tackle when we were on top. If you feel you are not the better team, you use every trick to influence the referee and change the game in your favour."

It is the stark assessment of an absolute professional, consumed by the desire to succeed. Advocaat is still searching for improvement, despite his successes so far.

With Michael Mols out for the season, Advocaat must decide whether to recall last season's top scorer Rod Wallace, who missed Saturday's 2-0 defeat of Hibernian with a hamstring injury, up front. The Rangers captain, Lorenzo Amoruso, is suspended.