Ian Durrant says Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Seville-bound stars against the Manchester class of 2008 would be the ultimate clash of Rangers styles.
The Ibrox icon would love to see the current crop of entertainers try to find a way past Walter Smith ’s dour defence.
Rangers have shown there’s more than one way to reach a Euro final – 14 years apart. And there couldn’t be a bigger contrast in approach.
Durrant was on the coaching staff when a Rangers team stirred anti-football sentiment on the journey to face Zenit St Petersburg.
They scored five times in nine matches in the knockout phase which included that 2-0 loss to the Russians.
Durrant has loved watching the rollercoaster ride to next Wednesday’s showpiece as a fan.
Rangers are the competition’s top scorers on 22, even after drawing a blank in their first two group games and fearing an early exit.
Since the turn of the year Van Bronckhorst ’s men have slammed six goals past Borussia Dortmund, netted four against Red Star and three in each thriller at home to Braga and Leipzig.
Durrant said: “In 2008 we parked all the buses we had. At times you thought the way the teams were attacking against us, if they got one goal then the scoreboard might’ve blown up.
“But we hung in there. We defended for our lives. And we managed to nick a goal here or there. It would be an interesting game between the two teams! I’d maybe still fancy us!
“They’ve certainly done it in a completely different way. Just watching them attack is frightening. This Rangers side is one of the best teams I’ve seen going forward.
“I was looking at the games last week involving Manchester City, Real Madrid and Liverpool. Rangers are equally good to watch, attacking-wise, in European games. I’d love to get a match-up with one of these virtual games and see how we’d get on against them.
“Allan McGregor was injured at the time but Neil Alexander was a very able deputy. You’ve got Connor Goldson and Calvin Bassey and, like Carlos Cuellar and David Weir, they’ve been so solid.
“Albeit Tav scores a lot more goals, Steven Whittaker was a very forward-thinking player too. Middle of the park Barry Ferguson, Kevin Thomson and Brahim Hemdani were quality. Wee Nacho Novo and Jean-Claude Darcheville played up front and we also had Kris Boyd available.
“We had a great work ethic, as do these boys, but the present team score a lot more goals than we ever could. The number of attacking options is incredible, particularly with the full-backs.
“You know if Borna Barisic crosses it then Tavernier is in the penalty box. They’re top of so many impressive stats in Europe. Alfredo Morelos has the most shots on target, Tav the most goals.
“I’ve seen Rangers are top on most tackles, balls recovered, saves, completed passes. But they’ve certainly got that thing we had too – a great togetherness.”
Never has the Rangers camp needed a spirit more, however, than in the dark days after administration. Durrant’s mind flashed back to the worst of times as Ibrox partied last Thursday.
Ally McCoist’s voice broke with emotion on TV as he recalled playing East Stirling nine years earlier and how far Rangers had come. But the football wasn’t the biggest problem back then. Dealing with boardroom regimes in it for themselves was a nightmare for McCoist and his staff.
That’s why Durrant says there are three Rangers managers to thank for the rise back. Steven Gerrard’s players and van Bronckhorst’s tactics since the turn of the year have done the trick.
But Durrant said: “Coisty took a boot in the b**** for Rangers.
“I was there with him and saw the deterioration in the club.
“There was no better person to lead Rangers through that period. Others who didn’t have the same affection for the club would’ve shied away from it or given up the ghost.
“In years to come you’ll look back and see he was an integral part of where Rangers are right now.
“Because at that moment, someone had to take the baton, stand up to people about the way the club was going. The football and results were immaterial. The future of the club was at stake.
“People you’ve known for years, the foot soldiers who were part of the fabric of the club, were no longer there on a matchdays.
“They’d lost their jobs, they’d been taken away from us by people who didn’t care, who had no feelings for the club. Discarded and made redundant.
“It was a travesty. We knew people were laughing and having a dig at us. But we also knew we’d return stronger and better. And look where we are now.
“I heard Coisty talk about East Stirling exactly nine years ago and now it’s Eintracht Frankfurt in the final. It’s
just incredible.”
