ADVOCAAT REVEALS SHOCK RETURN PLAN

The Zenit St Petersburg gaffer - who bossed Rangers between 1998 and 2001 - has lifted the lid on a secret plan to bring him back to Glasgow during a troubled spell in the reign of Alex McLeish.

Advocaat decided to answer an SOS from club owner David Murray in the autumn of 2005 as McLeish went on a club record run of 10 games without a win.

Murray had to decide to back or sack big Eck as he trailed Celtic in the SPL and faced a Champions league exit  - and Advocaat was lined up to replace the man who had taken over from him in 2001.

But at the 11th hour, Murray chose to pursue the glamorous Le Guen - then the hottest young manager in European football  - and stand by McLeish for another six months until the Frenchman could be installed in the hotseat.

Le Guen's Rangers reign turned into an unmitigated disaster within four months and Rangers fans this morning will wonder what might have happened had Advocaat returned to the manager's office.

When asked if he could ever come back to rangers or had been approached in the past, a candid Advoccat admitted: Now? No. But in the past there was a period when there was something wrong at Rangers, when things were not going the right way at the club. 

"There was some rumours about me then, and I was not against it. But they decided to take another road. So many things were happening and I was thinking, 'well, why not?' It was four years, five years since I had left Ibrox first time around 

  "I spoke to David Murray. He phoned me - or maybe I phoned him. But they took another decision. They didn't take me. It was only for an interim period. I agreed that i would help out - in an emergency if you like.

"That was a few years ago. It didn't work out, but things worked out happily for me because then I got  the South Korea job which was fantastic experience." 

Advocaat now leads Zenit St Petersburg into the UEFA cup Final against Rangers with high hopes of beating his old team.

He added: "It should be a good game. I respect Walter Smith as manager and for me facing Rangers means everything has come full circle."