Klos closes door as Rangers open gap

Stefan Klos is used to hiding behind big names. The greatest night of his life is better remembered by others because Andreas Möller, Karlheinz Riedle and Jürgen Kohler shared the occasion.

Not even the close proximity of the European Cup could hoist the goalkeeper's glamour rating up a notch. Six years may have passed since he helped Borussia Dortmund win the Champions' League, but Klos's anonymity remains almost as intact as his goal.

The Rangers goalkeeper has been beaten just 18 times in the Scottish Premier League this season, yet it could easily have been more. The leaders owe a huge debt to the quiet German.

While Barry Ferguson has stolen all the headlines with the 16 goals which have propelled Alex McLeish's side to the top, and Mikel Arteta and Peter Lovenkrands have won, respectively, the hearts of the younger and female elements of the support, Klos is almost ignored in terms of adulation from the stands. Yet no one's contribution has been more important in giving Rangers, who seek to maintain their three-point lead over Celtic today by beating Aberdeen at home, a glimpse of a return to power.

Just last Wednesday, at Easter Road, the 31-year-old proved the difference between success and failure. A sprawling save just before half-time prevented Hibernian from taking the lead they merited: eventually, after an hour, Ferguson broke the deadlock and Claudio Caniggia added a second, but the real influence had been that of Klos.

It had been the same in the last game before the SPL winter break. Had Klos not made a crucial save on 2 January when left alone against the Dundee striker Steve Lovell, Rangers would have been pegged to 2-2 with 10 minutes left. They celebrated the reprieve by scoring themselves.

Klos is enjoying his best season at Ibrox, since moving there in December 1998 from Dortmund. The modest keeper, though, is loath to admit it.

"It's not about me, it's what the team does that is important," he said yesterday. "We are all happy as a team." If you read between the bland lines, it is possible to discern what Klos means. Ibrox, under McLeish, has once again become a fun place to work: smiles have replaced the scowls of the final days of the Dick Advocaat era, and unity has superseded the egos and cliques that tore apart that successful team.

Klos's compatriot, Jörg Albertz, returned home to the Bundesliga claiming he, and others – notably Tugay Kerimoglu, who moved to Blackburn Rovers at the same time – had been victims of favouritism by Advocaat towards his many Dutch players.

Klos believes the Rangers team that McLeish inherited 13 months ago would have wilted under the sort of pressure faced at Easter Road. "Last season, Celtic were 13 points ahead at this stage," he said. "It was impossible to get that back. The confidence now is much better. We see we have a good chance of winning the league."

Klos won three Bundesliga championships in his 10 years at Dortmund, and then eclipsed everything when he helped them defeat Juventus 3-1 in a memorable Champions' League final in the Olympic stadium in Munich.

A desire to experience life outside Germany brought him to Glasgow. It has been as enriching off the field as on it. He won SPL titles in his first two seasons and his consistency has frustrated other goalkeepers.

Antti Niemi left Ibrox for Hearts after Klos arrived, as did the World Cup winner Lionel Charbonnier – the deputy to Fabien Barthez at France 98. Even when Rangers spent £2m on Jesper Christensen during a rare period of Klos injury, the Dane was eventually shipped out on loan to VfL Wolfsburg.

However, Germany have never called him into the national squad. Perhaps Rudi Völler believes the old jokes about Scottish goalkeeping. Yet Klos insists there are no soft touches: "Teams raise their game when they play Rangers."

However, when it comes to raising the stakes, no one, so far, has matched Ferguson. The Rangers captain has blossomed this season from a playmaker into top scorer.

Klos believes the Scot would be an automatic choice for Völler if he switched passports. "He is the leader of our team and, now that he's matured, there is no one like him in this league," he said.