Gio’s Rangers must not ruin Champions League for a fourth time

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Gio’s Rangers must not ruin Champions League for a fourth time
Rangers' Dutch manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst reacts during the friendly football match between Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow on July 23, 2022. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Andy Buchanan / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

After last night’s pain in Belgium, echoes of last year in Sweden rang true, and it reminded us glaringly of Celtic’s abysmal European exploits of recent years.

Which only went to show what a crushing blow not winning the SPL actually was, what a crushing blow not winning the UEL was, and while we’re not out of the UCL yet, we’ve got a mountain to climb.

And it’s a mountain that didn’t need to be scaled – if we hadn’t dropped silly points in the league, we’d have comfortably won the SPL. Of course, Celtic ensured we were deeply hamstrung with regards their stitch up on the winter break, but nevertheless, it cost us a lot.

As did Seville. Yes, Eintracht were better on the night and ‘deserved’ to win, but who cares who ‘deserved’ to win.

Goldson cost us a goal, Kent cost us a goal, and Ramsey sure cost us one. The whole thing? Yes, we should have won.

And that only emphasises more the fact we finished last season close to empty handed after a monumental effort – the two biggies, 56 and the UEL, were in our hands and slipped through.

And now we’re really counting the cost.

Two rounds of qualifiers in the UCL and the ‘easier’ one is already proving as tough as the playoff last season.

And Rangers are proving as ill-equipped this season to handle it, despite spending around £15M in the transfer market.

It needs a gigantic turnaround next week, just to at least earn a space v Monaco or PSV, otherwise it’s the UEL yet again.

Which, in many ways, is starting to look like our level.

Celtic will be completely out of their depth in the UCL group stage, but it was about the money for them too, and it sure as hell is about the money for us.

We absolutely pray Gio can fix this and prove us doubters wrong, because we need the group stage.

It’s unbelievable to think we’ve gifted Celtic the UCL, and managed three times (Malmo, SPL, Seville) to ruin it for ourselves.

We have one more chance.

Let’s not screw this up a fourth time.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Even if we do some how produce another miracle. Do we really think we can beat Monaco or PSV like this. Because we’re no way just going to click into tht sort of form overnight. Its gny take weeks to kick in. We seems to kickstart very slow, especially after Xmas breaks, but now its become a start of season thing too.

  2. At the moment I am questioning whether we have the players but I know for certain that we came into this season (and last) under prepared with players signed too late and too few warm up games.

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