Jamie Murphy is modest enough to admit he only played a minor role in Rangers’ long trek back to the European big time.
But the former Ibrox winger reckons Michael Beale’s new recruits can have a major say on Rangers’ prospects this term if they can find a way to reclaim the club’s seat at UEFA’s top table. Wednesday will be five years to the day since Murphy’s goal against Macedonian minnows Shkupi got them off and running on Steven Gerrard’s opening night as gaffer. It sent the Light Blues on their way to a 2-0 aggregate triumph but the importance of that opening Europa League qualifying strike has had longer-lasting consequences.
The Shkupi clash came 12 months on from Pedro Caixinha’s Progres Niederkorn disaster and a repeat of that catastrophic early exit would have denied Rangers desperately needed funds in their race to catch Celtic. It was Murphy who planted the first foot down on the road back from the wilderness and from there Gerrard’s new-look side swept past Osijek, Maribor and Ufa to reach the group stage, clinching a multi-million pound windfall that would eventually pave the way to title 55 as well as Seville. But with Celtic again surging ahead, both on the pitch and on the balance sheets, Murphy knows his old side can’t afford not to match the Hoops in banking a Champions League bonanza this summer.
Two rounds of qualifying stand between Rangers and the groups as Murphy told Record Sport: “It’s another big summer for the club, just like it was in 2018 when everyone was looking to see how the Gerrard rebuild would go.
“The life cycle of his team has now come to an end but you can see Mick trying to put his own stamp on things. The players he’s bringing in all look to be good quality.
“With five or so going out and a load of new faces coming in, Rangers are going to look a lot different and it will be important they start well.
“Reaching the Champions League is important too. Growing up, the club were in those groups every year and you want them to get back to that. Obviously they had a taste last year but results didn’t pan out as hoped.
“It’s vital they get back, not least because of the finances. That is so important to ensuring the club continues to progress. The Champions League attracts big players. Rangers is attractive enough but to get those top, top players, making the group stage can make the difference.”
Reaching the Europa groups in Gerrard’s first campaign looked a tall order as Rangers were faced with four ties to overcome. But Murphy never feared they’d fall at the first hurdle like Caixinha’s flops and said: “I can’t believe that’s five years already.
“It feels like only yesterday we were getting ready for Gerrard’s first game. There was a lot of scrutiny on us because of what had happened the year before. But against Progres the team wasn’t as strong as the one Gerrard had assembled and I never thought for a second we’d lose to Shkupi.
“I was so excited. As a boyhood fan getting to play in a European game at Ibrox, I couldn’t have looked forward to it more. It was a big game regardless but when you threw in the fact it was Gerrard’s first match, it made it an even bigger buzz.
“You’d think there would be extra pressure on the team because of that but I actually felt the opposite. The season before had obviously been difficult, with Celtic winning the league and a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes at our place.
“There had been a few grumbles from the fans but at the start of that season in 2018, everything seemed to be so positive with Gerrard coming in. It felt like a lot of weight had been lifted off our shoulders. You knew this was the start of something better and this was us taking the first step of this new era. Luckily that night I got the goal to get us started and it’s one of my favourites.
“It could have gone in off my backside and I wouldn’t have cared because the feeling of scoring my first European goal at Ibrox was amazing. I can still remember how it felt when the ball hit the net.
“There’s a little gif of me celebrating that floats about online, which my mates still put in the group chat occasionally. It always brings a smile to my face.
“It was the first step for the club towards getting back to the top level of European football. It paved the way towards the Europa League groups and eventually Seville and the Champions League. Yeah it may only have been a small part but I’m very proud of it.”
A devastating knee injury a few weeks later on Kilmarnock’s plastic pitch meant Murphy never got to feature in the group stage as his Ibrox career fizzled out. Gerrard has long since gone, with only James Tavernier, Connor Goldson and Ryan Jack still there.
Beale has set about building a team in his own image this summer but Murphy – now at Ayr – believes it’s his three former team-mates he’ll be relying on to set standards. He said: “I’m sure Mick will be delighted he’s still got those three lads there who can be a great example for the new faces.”
