BEAUTIFUL v BLUETIFUL; Madjid sure Gers will match Celts in flair play League.

Byline: DAVID McCARTHY 

MADJID BOUGHERRA has seen Tony Mowbray arrive across the city and knows that things will never be the same again.

But no matter how many new signings Celtic make, no matter how much money they splash in the transfer market, Rangers have a huge advantage going into the new season in Bougherra's eyes.

Familiarity breeds content and having gelled over the course of a season that brought them a double, he sees no reason to fear developments in the east end of the city.

Rangers' Algerian defender believes Celtic will play the "beautiful game" - his words - this season but Bougherra is losing no sleep over that because he is convinced his own team is undergoing a radical transformation even if the make-up is being slapped on to the same old faces.

He didn't mind winning ugly last season but he'd much rather succeed with a side that wasn't a 10-pinter.

He might get his wish this term because while Rangers haven't changed personnel, Walter Smith has altered the playing style to accommodate Steven Davis in a more central role.

Romantic

That, Bougherra insists, will make his team more attractive to watch and, coupled with Mowbray's appointment at Parkhead, has convinced the centre-back that Scotland's big two are going to serve up something special in the coming months. He knows most of the Old Firm encounters last season weren't easy on the eye but Bougherra is a positive thinker and possibly a romantic because he is convinced the Glasgow rivals are about to reintroduce some seriously sexy soccer to the city.

He knows Mowbray's philosophy, having been all but sold on it when the new Celtic boss was manager at West Brom. In fact, he had already passed the medical at The Hawthorns when Smith made his move to swipe the stopper from under Mowbray's nose.

Bougherra might have rejected the Teessiders' advances but has not altered his admiration for Mowbray and that isn't going to change just because they have ended up on opposite sides of the Glasgow divide.

He said: "Before I came to Rangers, I was very close to signing for Mowbray at West Brom. The negotiations went very far. I had taken the medical and went back to London to get my clothes because I thought I would be back to sign the following day.

"But in that time, Rangers called me and I came here. The Premier League was my objective but I knew Rangers were a big club and I spoke to Brahim Hemdani, who had been here for three years and told me all the good things.

"On the way from Birmingham to London, two hours, I called my family and made my decision. Honestly, though, Tony Mowbray was very good with me. I called him before I signed and he told me he understood my decision. Everything was amicable.

"When he was managing West Brom in the Championship, they were the best footballing team in the league. I know he has the mentality of keeping the ball on the floor and playing properly. When he was trying to sign me it was because I like to play football.

"I think Celtic will play a different way this season to last season. It will be a beautiful game now. We will also be better, so maybe we will see more good football."

Bougherra isn't worried that no new arrivals have signed in at Ibrox this summer - but he knows it is imperative that no regular first-team players are sold.

If that is the case, he is convinced Rangers can retain the league with style, particularly if the 4-3-3 system operated in pre-season is retained.

The switch means Davis can move inside to link with Mendes, while Kevin Thomson will sit behind them when he is fully fit.

Bougherra reckons that will make Rangers a far more fluid and fluent footballing side.

He added: "The tactic of having Steven in the middle with Pedro is a very good one. The defenders will find it easier to find them and we will keep the ball better.We have shown in the last three games that we can play good football. I think we need to keep this level all season. The squad is good enough to do what we did last year. We have kept the same players we won the title with and it is good we've now been together for a year.

"We know each other and you can see that during games we can find each other easily and for me this is the key for the new season.

"Celtic have a new gaffer and when that happens everything changes. But for us everything is good and stability is the best thing you can have.

"When you win something with a team you have to keep the team. Stability is so important, so if we can keep the same players and add one or two more, it would be the best thing."

One problem looming on the horizon for Rangers, though, will be Bougherra's absence for the best part of January as he heads to Angola to represent Algeria in the African Nations Cup.

He said: "If we win one more qualifying game, we will be in the African Cup and I will be away for between three weeks and a month, so there will be an obligation for Rangers to have cover for me.

Success

"At the moment, we can play Kirk Broadfoot, who will be back from injury, or Lee McCulloch, so we do have cover."

Before that, though, Bougherra has a Champions League campaign to relish and that is one of the reasons he turned down Mowbray a year ago. He knows that success on the Euro stage can lead to a move to a major club 12 months down the line.

But if it doesn't happen, he won't have any hesitation in extending his time in Scotland.

He said: "I came to a big club that plays in the Champions League and wins the title. So, after this club, I need to go to a big club again.

"When you have been at a club that wins titles, your mentality changes and you want to win something again. But this season, 100 per cent I will stay, no matter what happens."

CAPTION(S):

NEW ROLES: Davis, left, and Thomson can help Rangers play with more style THRILL FACTOR: Bougherra is sure Rangers will be commited to a more entertaining brand of football this season to try to see off a Celtic side led by Tony Mowbray, left