When Motherwell were eliminated from Europe last month, manager Graham Alexander paid for the humiliation with his livelihood. Would Giovanni van Bronckhorst suffer a similar fate if Rangers nosedived out of the Champions League qualifiers on Tuesday night? Not a chance.
But it wouldn’t be a good look given the similarities between both sets of circumstances. Motherwell going out of the Conference League qualifiers at the hands of Sligo Rovers was seen as a low point for Scottish football. Whether it was the lowest point of all is academic. They were scraping the bottom of the barrel.
I can’t agree with the radio caller I heard describe Rangers ’ opponents Union Saint-Gilloise as a “glorified pub team”. But they shouldn’t be beating Rangers over two legs given the disparity in size between them. There’s no point in anyone hyperventilating because new signing Ridvan Yilmaz says he wants to win trophies at Ibrox then move to a bigger club.
What the Turk said at his unveiling was a simple statement of fact. There are bigger clubs than Rangers – and plenty of them. But, in turn, they dwarf their Belgian opponents and an aggregate defeat on Tuesday should be unthinkable.
Particularly if it denied them a multi-million pound windfall in the process. The Belgians’ last European tie was 58 years ago in a now defunct tournament. And they don’t even have a home fit for purpose in UEFA’s eyes, which forced them to lay the groundwork for Rangers’ present discomfort in rented accommodation.
Now it’s all about Ibrox, a stadium custom-built for European drama. Surely we’re getting to the stage where the fans should be admitted free of charge for these games? A capacity crowd is expected to create an atmosphere that makes a difference by intimidating the opposition to the point of capitulation.
But the punters don’t get appearance money or share in any bonus payment scheme relating to progression and a game against PSV Eindhoven or Monaco. What’s in it for them is the satisfaction of moving a step nearer to what Celtic already possess.
A place in the group stages of a competition that pays plenty for participation there. But the other side of that coin is the public response to failure. Alexander spoke about the toxic reaction of the Motherwell fans after losing to a team from the League of Ireland.
It will be no less volatile in the recrimination stakes if Rangers fail against the Belgians. So, as well as the roof being raised by way of inspiring van Bronckhorst’s team, the game is also a test of what the manager can get out of his players while under duress.
He was commendably candid when he said Rangers had “no chance” against USG if they were as sloppy as they were in the first leg of the tie. But that’s where the manager comes in, surely, to ensure that’s not the case. Alexander was originally granted a stay of execution after losing to Sligo at home because it was only half-time in the tie.
Likewise, Rangers now have the opportunity to prove what happened in Belgium was an aberration that can be erased from memory by producing what they are capable of. But there’s no default setting if you fail to rise to the occasion.
It shouldn’t be up to people who are sitting down to win matches. That’s the job of football players. You can’t blame the crowd if you fail to win. In 48 hours time, Rangers’ obligation is to do better, not set out to prove they can’t be any worse than in the first leg.
Remembering Yogi
In the days before microphones, headphones and speaking when the red light comes on, I’d pay to stand on the terracing. Much of the value for money in my teens was represented by watching Celtic’ s John Hughes.
He was an exhilarating showman who had the physique of a heavyweight boxer and the nimble feet of a tap dancer. A devastating mix of dexterity, delicacy and destructive tendencies where opposition defences were concerned.
Now we live in a world of retrospective criticism and premature judgment on football players. The death of someone like Yogi allows pause for a considered judgment.
He left an imposing footprint on Celtic’s history and, having had the pleasure to know him professionally, I mourn his passing.
