Can Rangers put one over their old boss Advocaat?

Filed in archive on May 14, 2008

Rangers attempt to achieve the second part of a remarkable quadruple of titles tonight when they take on Zenit St Petersburg in the UEFA Cup Final at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Rangers' only other European triumph came back in 1972 when they won the Cup Winners Cup and Zenit are looking for their first ever silverware.

Zenit St Petersburg go into the match as favourites and Rangers go into the match under a hailstorm of criticism from around Europe. Many people have been displeased with the way Rangers have made it to the final, concentrating on being hard to beat rather than playing expansive, attractive football.

Rangers and their Legion of fans, 100,000 are expected to make the trip to Manchester despite a ticket allocation of 13,000, couldn't care less what others think of them. Manager Walter Smith said yesterday, "So far, we've had a lot of negative comments about us. We've had a lot of situations where people say that Rangers play anti-football, rubbish football or whatever. But, for a first-year team, we've settled in well and, for those teams that have lost to us, if they are that good, why have they not beaten us?"

Absolutely right Mr. Smith, the last time I looked at the rules it was the winning team that goes through to the next round! If Rangers do win the trophy it will be a fantastic achievement and the manner of how they did so will be soon forgotten.

Rangers go into the game having played three league games in seven days. Zenit, by contrast, have had their games postponed by their authorities to give them the best chance of preparing for the final. The difference in attitude from the two football bodies in Russia and Scotland could not be more marked.

Of course, the game is given an added dimension by the fact that Zenit are managed by former Rangers boss Dick Advocaat. He loved his time in Glasgow and says he will always be a Rangers fan.

I don't see Rangers changing the style that has been so successful for them and they will make themselves very difficult to beat. It will be a tight game and although Zenit are the favourites, I think it is impossible to call. Let's just hope that it is a good game and that whoever wins it, they are given the credit and praise that they will undoubtedly deserve.