On the one hand we can quite correctly point to the fact that in nine competitive European ties we have only lost one, that this one defeat was against the number one seeds in the group Inter Milan (deflected goal) further strengthens that argument that it is indeed an achievement to be proud of. However on the other side of the coin and in keeping with the extremely unpredictable domestic form it is equally true to point out that we have not won a European game since September.
Will not go through the games in too much detail but I do feel that the tone was set before match day one, the preliminary tie with Famagusta was a potential banana skin and to be perfectly honest we got a doing in the first half. The undoubted plus point was the two second half goals, having naively thought at 2-0 it was over they scored from the kick off. A somewhat fortunate/efficient (see what I mean) victory was achieved. Again the writing was on the wall when a 37 year old has been was pulling all the strings and hit the post at 0-0 in the return. Confusion also seemed to reign in the press as they told us all what a good team they were when the draw was made only to say it was “only” Famagusta when we went through.
Without a word of a lie I phoned my mate at work on the morning of the draw and told him my dream draw would be Inter (empty Stadium), Panathinaikos (revenge) and Artmedia (huge laughs and because they were mince) so I was over the proverbial moon when the draw gave us two of the three teams I wanted. Again could not have picked the fixtures any better, so how would we fare ?. Can almost hear the music now.
Match day one gave an even stronger indication of how we would be put through the ringer emotionally (even more than usual) and provides the whole backbone to my fairly cogent argument as Porto played us off the park (you know they did) but we beat them 3-2 because they were even worse than we were at the back. The press were quick to criticise and pointed out how well the Portuguese had played. At this point I wondered if the Portuguese press would be so full of praise or would they slaughter them for losing a game they should have won. Grudging praise was given along with fairly obvious advice that we would “have to improve”. Can well remember emailing my work amigos the following day and asking them if their glass was half full or half empty. For someone who has seen too many glorious failures mine was definitely half full, if Porto want to paint pretty pictures with no end product them let them.
The game with Inter Milan was played mostly in our half as you might expect but we did give a glimpse of what might happen if we had the guts to attack. As it was Inters first game behind closed doors nobody knew how they would handle it, which to me indicated the best chance of a visiting team pinching something from them. Half empty or half full time again as a glorious early chance is missed before we revert to type and sit back a look admiringly at our more illustrious opponents (if you do that then they WILL prove how good they are). Half full time would be the verdict again as we had not bargained on picking up anything from the San Siro anyway and when I saw that our friends from Bratislava had WON in Oporto then it was positively over flowing.
There can be no doubt that the two Bratislava games would give an excellent barometer of where we were before the qualification decider against Porto. For the only time in the entire European campaign the glass was totally empty in a game that is totally dominated by Rangers. Would the press in Slovakia criticise Bratislava and praise us (can you see where this is going). Would personally have ensured the away game was the Gaffers last game in charge as they failed to beat Livingston and ICT. The Livingston game was THE final straw for this long-suffering Bear. At least we could return to the empty/full debate as we gave away the lead twice but could a point away from home in the Champions League be considered a bad result ?. Well apparently in Scotland it IS a bad result, well if you are the Rangers anyway. An Inter victory over Porto makes a seemingly bad result good as we increase our lead over our rivals to two points. Half full.
The whole debate would come full circle with the return match against the “supremely talented” Portuguese who again dominate but again fail to win the game. Again we get battered but again we surprise them (and perhaps ourselves) with a late goal. Not content with these parallels they also go to sleep and nearly throw it all away late on. There can be no doubt that the glass was again full up although the nagging realisation that if we had won either of the Bratislava games we would have been through. However the glass is ¾ full.
The draw in Portugal ensured UEFA Cup football but going into the final game in the box seat for qualification like we had done previously against Monaco and in Munich the consolation prize was not an option for us. Once again the concession of a ridiculously poor early goal has us up against it before Peter Perfect levels. Half time comes and goes with the knowledge that we are through and when Inter finally chuck it with about ten minutes to go we take a calculated risk by accepting a draw. Nervy moments after our game is finished before we realise the other game has ended 0-0 so we are through.
Debates in the press were predicted on the supporters bus on the way home as we reckoned that the number of points/victories would be trotted out with great regularity. This started after the Porto draw with timothy at work as he had no other midweek distractions so he inevitably became interested/obsessed with the Rangers (as usual). The glass is at this point full, yes we have only won one game but we have also only lost one game.
The Gaffer points out that we have knocked out the second seeds in the group and we might have expected some positive press for this. This is something of a contradiction from my opening paragraph I know but let me explain. What I found annoying was the way that the players (and Manager) seemed to talk of nothing else but the Champions League. Absolutely dire performances are ignored/tolerated by both the Manager and the Chairman because we have “made history”. The final straw comes with the release of the obligatory tee shirt and my only surprise was that a DVD was not released. When the “big announcement” turned out to be a total red herring the glass emptied somewhat but was immediately refilled with the draw against the only team we could have hoped to progress against.
A Porto like performance ensued at the Stadium as we stand back and admire a 50% fit Riquelme instead of giving him an early kick to see how fit his thigh was. All in all a 2-2 draw was acceptable when you consider that for long periods we were comprehensively outplayed. For me I honestly can`t give a full/empty verdict as relief that we are still in the tie is tempered by the way we stood off them and allowed them to play. The return leg on Tuesday showed they did not like it when we did what ANY team at ANY level should be doing, working hard and shutting players down should not be considered as over-time for our overpaid and under worked “players”. At the end of the tie the glass is probably half full as we have matched the third best team from the best League in the World over 2 games. Yes to see them waste time and hang on was a joy to watch and a great compliment for us.
Over two legs I do not think that we deserved to progress as we only played for 45 minutes over the two games which perhaps changes my opinion to half empty. How would they have coped if we had played the home leg like those first 45 minutes in El Madrigal we shall never know. Will we ever have a better chance (has the glass emptied altogether now ?). For me the glass will remain half full as this has undoubtedly given us a taste of what we can achieve. Like 92/93 though we can`t afford any complacency but we CAN get there.
It is my considered opinion that the Club is now at the most important crossroads since Souness was appointed. With the announcement today about Monsieur Le Guen apparently agreeing to Manage this great Club of ours and the much needed cash investment from JJB the Club has two ways to go which ties in rather nicely with the debate of our European exploits against our domestic malaise. It is my firm belief that we CAN become at least as big (if not bigger) than Lyon as we are a bigger Club.
Whilst I will never be Mr Murrays biggest fan he IS to be congratulated for securing such a top notch Manager as PLG, one of the hottest properties in Europe has agreed to manage our Club which IMHO is down to the persuasive nature of the Mint. With the debt set to decrease to under £10m and money in place for PLG the future does indeed look bright. However we need to fight on BOTH fronts. The action plan must be to give PLG ONE lump sum for this summer to put the wheels in motion, players should be signed on long-term bombproof contracts for at least 5 Years. This way PLG will only need to sign one, maybe two players each summer. Talent should also emerge and be given a chance to shine and any expenditure will be well within a reasonable budget to negate the need for the over spending which got us into this mess.
The glass is most definitely full of French champagne. For once, merci beaucoup Monsieur Chairman. Vive la revolution.
Allez les Blues !