Source: Team_Talk
Gers boss braced for Novo blow
The striker was forced out of the action shortly before half-time at Ibrox after spraining his ankle.[LNB]Boss Walter Smith is now bracing himself to be without the Spaniard for up to three weeks - meaning he could miss the visit to the east end of Glasgow on February 15.[LNB]"He's got a badly sprained ankle and he will be looking at maybe two or three weeks out with that," said Smith.[LNB]"They don't think there is anything broken, the initial diagnosis is a bad sprain."[LNB]Teenager John Fleck won, and then converted, a penalty late in the second half, before Kyle Lafferty sealed the win for Rangers in injury-time.[LNB]Fleck has impressed since making his breakthrough to the first team and Smith had nothing but praise for the 17-year-old for holding his nerve from the penalty spot.[LNB]He said: "There was no pecking order as such; the lad was just keen to take the penalty himself.[LNB]"All credit to him to have the confidence to do that. He has taken the penalties all through his youth career so he was obviously confident to take that one."[LNB]Smith added: "There are two things here. There is our responsibility to try to make sure that we don't over-play a young player but you have to look at him as well if he is keen to play and it doesn't look as though it's affecting him.[LNB]"He's got the ability to play, he's been deserving of his starts and he has shown he has the ability to carry on.[LNB]"There will be ups and downs, as there is with every young player, but he has shown enough quality in the three or four games he has taken part in to indicate that he is going to be a good player."[LNB]The win allowed Rangers to move to within a point of leaders Celtic ahead of the champions' trip to Inverness but Smith insists the three points were always a must today regardless of the opportunity to pile the pressure on their rivals.[LNB]"We just have to win," he said.[LNB]"People keep saying if we play one day and they play the next day that there is a pressure. But the only pressure is to win, regardless of when they play.[LNB]"I was a little disappointed with our first hour of the game but delighted at the end."[LNB]United had earned two draws against Rangers this season and manager Craig Levein was unconvinced by the penalty decision which ultimately turned the game.[LNB]He said: "I've seen it on the television and I thought it was soft; I thought he went down very easily."[LNB]The Tannadice boss also claimed he had no idea whether Willo Flood - who sealed a move to Celtic - would have made any difference to the result at Ibrox.[LNB]He said: "As a manager of an SPL side, whenever your team is doing well, the vultures start hovering and you lose players.[LNB]"You just have to accept that. We might lose a few more in the summer if they keep playing the way they have been playing.[LNB]"My job is to keep trying to find guys who can fill their jerseys."[LNB]And, with Scott Robertson ruled out for the rest of the season through injury, Levein will step up his efforts to add to his squad before the transfer window closes on Monday.[LNB]He added: "If I hadn't lost Scott Robertson, I might have taken a chance that I could get by.[LNB]"But, with Scott being out and Willo being away, that's two of our starting midfield for the vast majority of this season who are missing.[LNB]"I really need to get somebody in. I've made I don't know how many phone-calls and been disappointed I don't know how many times.[LNB]"There are a couple of things I'm working on and hopefully I can bolster the squad come Monday evening."[LNB][LNB]
