Luc Nilis still looks back fondly on the company he kept during his years with PSV, after striking up deadly partnerships with Ruud van Nistelrooy and Brazilian superstar Ronaldo. But he admits he’d rather blank out his brush with Derek McInnes and Rangers.
The Belgium legend made his first visit to Ibrox for a 1999 Champions League showdown and found his every move tracked by the Gers midfielder, as his old Eindhoven boss Dick Advocaat deployed McInnes as a man-marking sweeper. The ploy worked a treat as the Light Blues rampaged to a 4-1 triumph, backing up the 1-0 win they’d already claimed at the Philips Stadion.
It wasn’t enough to see Gers through as they were eliminated alongside their Dutch opponents, with Bayern Munich and Valencia progressing from a group of death. But even after having a night to forget, the game made an impression in Nilis. He told Record Sport : “That was my first experience of Ibrox and as usual the fans were amazing.
"When they went 4-1 up, the fans kept on singing, demanding more. I remember they man marked me. They put the player McInnes on me. It was like having a bulldog jumping on my neck.
“I couldn’t get free of him. Rangers were the team we had to beat to have any chance but, I have to admit, they were better than us.”
Nilis is keen to see if his old pal Nistelrooy, now the PSV boss, can repeat the success he had as a lethal poacher with the Dutch side, Manchester United and Real Madrid now that he’s taken up his first management gig. Ahead of tonight’s Champions League qualifying clash at Ibrox, Nilis said: “I had two great partners during my career – Ruud and Ronaldo.
“Ruud and I just got on, both on the pitch and off it. I’m not surprised to see him go into management because he was always focused and very positive in how he talked about the game.
"He’s a real winner. PSV have put an experienced coach in Frank Rutten next to him so he can learn from him. They have started well together, winning the Super Cup and eliminating Monaco.”
Nilis reckons compatriots Union Saint-Gilloise paid the price for being cautious in last week’s trip to Glasgow. But he expects PSV to go for the jugular. He said: “If you play defensively in Glasgow, then you know the goals will come. But I can’t see PSV doing that. It’s not the Dutch way.”
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