WEIR: I FEEL SORRY FOR JAMBO FANS

DAVIE WEIR last night admitted he was stunned and saddened by the exclusion of Hearts duo Paul Hartley and Craig Gordon and insists he would rather play with them than against them.

The veteran defender was preparing to make his Ibrox debut against his old club when word filtered through that his Scotland colleagues had been axed from the Jambos' starting line-up.

Hearts binned the pair and will sell them before the transfer window with Hartley, ironically, linked with a move to Rangers.

However, the surprise omissions baffled Weir, who reckons the decision short-changed the supporters of the Gorgie club.

Weir said: "I feel sorry for the fans and the Hearts players. They want to see their best team on the pitch every week and they are arguably Hearts' two best players.

"The fans are turning up at the game, paying to see their best players, and they are not playing. That's the bottom line.

"It's not for me to be the judge and jury. I can only see things from a player's stand point. I see people leaving and guys not getting picked."

Weir knows neither player will struggle to find a new club but with Scotland's double header against Georgia and Italy looming large on the horizon he feels it is important for Hartley and Gordon to achieve stability and security as soon as possible. He said: "I'm sure their minds will be right because they are both established professionals.

"They understand the situation. Sometimes when it is like that the Scotland thing can work for you.

"It was the same with me at the start of the season when I wasn't getting a game at Everton.

"I think Craig Gordon and Paul Hartley have to be in the Scotland team. That can maybe be a silver lining for them.

"I think Craig will get a club no problem because he's top notch and he's got the lot. There's nothing to stop him going all the way and being a big name for years to come.

"I also think Paul Hartley is at that standard and he can play wherever he wants. He is definitely a match winner."

Yet, while Weir may be disillusioned with the shenanigans at his old club his most pressing concern at the weekend was his long-awaited Ibrox bow.

Walter Smith initially attempted to sign the defender from Falkirk during his first spell in charge at Rangers in the 1990s but it ended up taking 12 years for Weir to fulfill his boyhood dream of pulling on a Light Blue jersey and running out at Ibrox.

He said: "I was as nervous as I've been for a long while although I'd been really looking forward to it.

"I came here with Hearts and Falkirk when it was a completely different mindset. I came here as a fan as well so it was very strange. However, I enjoyed every minute of it, apart from the result."

The 0-0 scoreline was a minor blemish on an otherwise impressive afternoon for the 36-year-old, who produced another faultless display at the back.

Weir's arrival has eradicated the defensive weaknesses which were a feature of the Paul Le Guen era.

He said: "I've only been here two games but I've enjoyed it. The team have now kept three clean sheets in a row and we are definitely heading in the right direction.

"There is definitely something to work on and hopefully it won't be long before we get Rangers back to where they belong.

"I thought we did enough to merit three points. We were the best team but a couple of decisions went against us.

"It wasn't clear cut and there were a couple of offsides earlier but we didn't seem to get the breaks.

"If we're not conceding goals then it gives us a platform. As a defender that's what it's all about. That's the priority and that's what the manager has preached to us.

"If we can keep clean sheets we have something to build on."

Saturday's scoreless draw saw Weir team up with Ugo Ehiogu for the first time and he hopes to develop a fruitful partnership with his fellow elder statesmen.

He said: "We're both experienced and have been round the block a bit. I enjoyed playing with Ugo although you'll have to speak to him about whether he enjoyed playing alongside me.

"His communication was good and he kept things quite straightforward. That's all you want really."

Taken from the Daily Record