Mcleish condemns dunfermline's plastic pitch

Alex Mcleish, the Rangers manager, has criticised the state of the Scottish game as a season he would like to forget looks likely to end with the most inexperienced side in the club's history facing Dunfermline Athletic tomorrow.

Alex Mcleish, the Rangers manager, has criticised the state of the Scottish game as a season he would like to forget looks likely to end with the most inexperienced side in the club's history facing Dunfermline Athletic tomorrow.

McLeish is already without a number of first-team players because of injury but Rangers' medical staff have warned that any players carrying knocks should should not be risked on Dunfermline's controversial plastic pitch. "That's the farce that is Scottish football - that your doctor and medical staff are saying that some players should not be playing on this," McLeish said. "It just makes a mockery of the Scottish game. There are one or two that have just come back from injury so we are concerned about those."

Injuries have already ruled out Shota Arveladze, Gavin Rae, Henning Berg, Craig Moore and Hamed Namouchi. Fears about the plastic pitch at East End Park mean Frank de Boer (Achilles) and Steven Thompson (knee) are unlikely to be risked. Youngsters Bajram Fetai, Charlie Adam, Ross McCormack, Gary McKenzie and Bob Davidson are all included in the squad.

A week before the Scottish Cup final against Celtic, Dunfermline are missing Scott Wilson, Darren Young, Scott Thomson, Greg Shields and Billy Mehmet. David Grondin (dead leg) and Noel Hunt (ankle) are rated as doubtful, but Craig Brewster returns after a knee injury.

Celtic welcome back Chris Sutton and Alan Thompson as they entertain Dundee United tomorrow, while striker Henrik Larsson is set to play his final game at Parkhead. For the visitors, Jim McIntyre, Andy McLaren (both calf) and Derek McInnes (hamstring) are missing, while player-coach Billy Dodds is rested.