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Walter Smith sets his sights on Europa League Final

bombaybadboy08

By bombaybadboy08
in Jimmy Bell's Kitroom

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bombaybadboy08

bombaybadboy08 15,660

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Dec 6 2010 Keith Jackson

WALTER Smith arrived here in Turkey last night for the most meaningless match of Rangers' season - then insisted this Champions League dead rubber could be the launchpad for a journey all the way to the Europa League Final.

The Ibrox boss admitted he is hankering after another extended Euro run in his final season at the helm - three years after leading his club to the UEFA Cup showpiece in Manchester.

Smith's team will drop into the revamped and rebranded tournament regardless of the outcome of tomorrow's final Group C clash with Bursaspor.

But a win for the SPL champs could secure their status as seeds in the draw for the last 32, greatly enhancing their chances of reaching the next round.

Smith admits he has set his sights even higher - all the way to a possible fairytale farewell at the final in Dublin on May 18.

And he's willing to go flat out to keep the dream alive even though he knows his wafer-thin squad might not be able to cope with the demands of going for glory at home and abroad.

Historic

He said: "I don't think there is any doubt the UEFA Cup run cost us the championship back in 2008 but I wouldn't change it.

"The amount of games we had to play at the end of the season was the biggest factor and even had a knock-on effect to the way we started the following season.

"But you would rather have to deal with that than not. Reaching that final will go down as one the highlights of my career so you say to yourself: Let's make an attempt to get there again.

"Is it realistic? Well, Dublin has a nice ring to it. But for now we are just delighted to be involved in Europe after Christmas."

On the face of it, Smith could be excused for sending out a reserve side to face the Turks, rather than risk losing any more of his established stars to injury.

He won't though. Partly because he can't - Smith doesn't even have enough back-up to fill the seats on the bench these days - but chiefly because it would be an affront to the principles that underpinned his team during that historic run to Manchester in 2008.

the principles that underpinned his team during that historic run to Manchester in 2008.

He said: "People say I should rest my entire team for this game but I can't - I don't have enough players!

"One or two will be left out - I'm not going to play everybody - but we can't make that many changes because we don't have enough bodies.

"From a financial point of view, a win here would also be worth a lot of money to the club. Then there is our own professional pride.

"It doesn't matter if people are saying the thing is over and done with - you still have to try to do as well as you can. There is a coefficient to play for and we must try to keep that up."

Oh, yes, and one more thing. Victory here in this otherwise dead rubber with Bursaspor would mean Rangers will almost certainly be seeded in the Europa League draw.

And it seems very much as if Smith has his eyes on the prize once again, even though he knows it could be the ruination of his hopes of securing a third successive SPL crown in his final season at the helm.

He continued: "If we win this game then we will be seeded in the Europa League draw. That is a big factor for us.

"People may expect us to prefer to concentrate on the league given the size of our squad - and there is something in that theory.

"But when you are involved in competitive sport this is where you want to be.

"We wouldn't want to go into it saying all that matters is the domestic situation - or that we're not bothered with Europe.

"We want to do well in every tournament we play in.

"The last time we played in this competition we got to the final and it becomes one of the highlights of your career. Not everyone can get to a European final.

"At the start of that run, when we went to Panathinaikos, we were aware that if we were going to go further it would have an effect on our domestic football.

"But what would you say? Would you say you don't want to get to a European final? "No, you wouldn't - you can't! We will go into this competition and try to do as well as we can."

So that's it then. Smith has six months left in office and intends going out with all guns blazing from here on in.

But surely, for such a confirmed pragmatist, the thought of reaching ANOTHER European final, now that his squad is even weaker than before, is little more than a fanciful notion?

Apparently not. And all because of the way in which these players have, against all the odds, ruffled more than a few feathers in the Champions League.

Smith detects that - after drawing with Manchester United at Old Trafford, beating the Turks at home and then running over the top of Valencia at Ibrox - Gers themselves are starting to believe they belong at this level.

He said: "The Champions League is an unforgiving environment to play in but there is a flip side to that.

"If you're doing well in the Champions League then you get a level of confidence that helps in the domestic games. That has happened to us this season.

"The boys have a bit more about them going into European games now. There was a trepidation about us last year but we've played well and quite confidently this time out.

"We have achieved what we set out to achieve. We've had good performances, gathered five points and got ourselves into the Europa League. That's a decent campaign."

Walter Smith welcomes defender Madjid Bougherra back from injury for tomorr ow's match. But none of his other crocks - Maurice Edu, Sasa Papac, Kirk Broadfoot and Nikica Jelavic - made yesterday's flight. Smith said: "Sasa will be fine for the game on Saturday but we've left him back to get some training. James Beattie is fit again so he'll get part of the game tomorrow - I'll see how I feel in the next 24 hours as to whether he starts or not. "As for Jelavic, he's finishing his rehab in Croatia. We're lookin g at the middle of January for him. He'll need a couple of bounce games to get back into shape."

http://www.<No links to this website>/2010/12/06/walter-smith-sets-his-sights-on-europa-league-final-86908-22764833/

That's the spirit :uk:

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Ozblue

Ozblue 4,331

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I would have been rather mystified if Walter had said anything other than that...when have the Rangers ever gone into a game not trying our best or not caring whether we won or not?

Never, as far as I'm concerned. :21:

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dado1

dado1 23

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Would they seriously allow it to go ahead if Rangers got to the final?

well they would have to wait till the semi to see if we got there and surley thats not enough time to make other arrangments to switch it elsewhere

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super hans

super hans 55

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The teams currently in the Europa League:

Man City, Lech Poznan, Leverkusen, (Aris or Athletico Madrid), Sporting Lisbon, (Gent or Lille), Villareal, (Dinamo Zagreb or PAOK), Dynamo Kiev, BATE, CSKA Moscow, Sparta Prague, Zenit, AEK, Stuttgart, Young Boys, PSV, Metalist Kharkiv, PSG, (Dortmund or Sevilla), Liverpool, (Steaua or Napoli or Utrecht), Porto, Besiktas, FC Twente, Benfica, (Rubin Kazan or Copenhagen), Basel, Spartak Moscow, (Ajax or Auxerre), (Braga or Arsenal).

Looking at the teams there we're going to very lucky to get anywhere near the final.

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PaulRFC1

PaulRFC1 115

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The teams currently in the Europa League:

Man City, Lech Poznan, Leverkusen, (Aris or Athletico Madrid), Sporting Lisbon, (Gent or Lille), Villareal, (Dinamo Zagreb or PAOK), Dynamo Kiev, BATE, CSKA Moscow, Sparta Prague, Zenit, AEK, Stuttgart, Young Boys, PSV, Metalist Kharkiv, PSG, (Dortmund or Sevilla), Liverpool, (Steaua or Napoli or Utrecht), Porto, Besiktas, FC Twente, Benfica, (Rubin Kazan or Copenhagen), Basel, Spartak Moscow, (Ajax or Auxerre), (Braga or Arsenal).

Looking at the teams there we're going to very lucky to get anywhere near the final.

Honestly :lol: ?

There is no real game there which I would think they should beat us apart from Man City.

Most games will be very close.

The only 2 I would want to miss are Man City and Dortmund and I would be happy with the rest of them.

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