Bougherra ready to seal title success

15 April 2010 06:56
Madjid Bougherra is pleased Rangers have not yet wrapped up the SPL title so he can be involved when they do get their hands on the trophy.[LNB] The defender made his first appearance in six weeks on Wednesday night when he was drafted straight back into the side for the goalless draw against Dundee United after finally recovering from a hamstring problem.[LNB]A win for Rangers would have allowed them to head into Sunday's game against Hearts at Ibrox knowing another victory would see them retain the championship.[LNB]They must now hope Celtic fail to win against Hibernian 24 hours earlier to allow them the chance to celebrate in front of their own fans this weekend - a scenario Bougherra is desperate for.[LNB]The Algerian international said: "I'm happy because we have not won the title yet and I can be on the pitch because it's better to be on the pitch.[LNB]"Two things - I want to be on the pitch when we win the title and I want to keep winning and keep playing to be fit for the World Cup.[LNB]"We want Celtic to lose or draw because it will be a good atmosphere at Ibrox if we win. It's better to win the title at home.[LNB]"If we had won this game and then won again on Sunday we would have won it at Ibrox. But now we have to wait for the Celtic result on Saturday and see what happens on Sunday.[LNB]"We have to be careful because in football you never know what can happen. We have a big gap, yes, but we have to keep going to be sure."[LNB]Bougherra was thrilled to make his long-awaited return even though Rangers failed to overcome 10-man United, who were without Mihael Kovacevic for the final 20 minutes after his straight red card for lashing out at Kyle Lafferty.[LNB]"I was very happy to be back," said Bougherra.[LNB]"I missed the pitch, I missed the atmosphere. It was a long time since I played but I enjoyed the 90 minutes although it was a difficult game.[LNB]"We have a draw and a clean sheet and that's not a bad thing. We just keep going to win the title. We had more chances than them but we didn't score and Dundee United played well.[LNB]"We are a little bit disappointed but happy to come back with one point."[LNB]And he insists there are no nerves in the camp, adding: "We are very confident and there is normal pressure in the training and a beautiful atmosphere.[LNB]"When you are on the pitch, it's different from last year, it's pressure you enjoy."[LNB]United boss Peter Houston admits catching Celtic is now a massive challenge but was pleased to at least see his side strengthen their grip on third spot.[LNB]He said: "We are seven points behind Celtic and it's a lot to ask. But we have gained points on Motherwell and Hibs and we will keep looking forward.[LNB]"I'm absolutely delighted with where we are at this stage of the season with the amount of points we have accumulated, but hopefully we can continue to win more."

Source: Team_Talk