Rangers played a total of 52 competitive matches during the 1997--98 season. They went into the season in pursuit of a record tenth consecutive league title. The early season form of new signing Marco Negri gave the team fresh imputous but when the then manager Walter Smith announced that _he_would leave the club at the end of the season the side's form dipped. <sep>, Pronoun: he <sep>, A: Marco Negri <sep>, B: Walter Smith