Billy Dodds will play his first match for Rangers today and the 50,000 crowd will ponder on how long it will be before Hearts' Paul Ritchie joins him at Ibrox. The manager Dick Advocaat seems intent on denuding his rivals in Scottish football of their best players.

Now that their European campaign is over, the champions are forced to concentrate on retaining their title and, after three successive defeats, are in what, for them, is a mini-crisis. The arrival of the Scottish international striker will raise their spirits against Kilmarnock but it is Ritchie who is the more intriguing story.

The defender was yesterday told by the Hearts manager Jim Jefferies that he had played his last game for the club, despite the fact that his contract does not expire until the end of the season. He also placed him on the transfer list to add to the growing belief that the next game he plays will be in a blue jersey.

Advocaat made a £1.3 million bid for the defender at the start of the season and, under Bosman rules, can sign a pre-contract agreement from the start of next month. It is hardly any wonder that his manager has reached such a stretch of frustration.

But Rangers will be glad to see Dodds play. The 31-year-old archetypal journeyman has flourished at the end of a career which has taken him to Partick Thistle, Dundee, St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Dundee United. "I'm glad this chance has come now," he says "A few years ago I might have been a bit overawed. But I'm fit, ready to go. I'm going to get more chances than I ever had in any other team and it's up to me to put them away."

With their raft of injuries and suspensions Dodds may be needed as Celtic, much maligned but still refusing to go away, travel to Aberdeen who at last appear to have kick-started their season.

They will attract a crowd to Pittodrie if for no other reason than the prospect of watching Hicham Zerouali, the Moroccan who inspired them to a win against Hearts in midweek. And that result will give them some chance of not ending up bottom in the Scottish Premier League, a sign that Danish manager Ebbe Skovdahl is getting a grip on the club.