Rangers FC are pushing on once again in The Europa league, and face PSV in the last 16 of the competition. This will come as a shock to many fans who have watched Rangers in recent months, lose three times to Celtic, and not manage to convert a win in the CIS cup, even with an extra man. So how are Rangers doing so well in Europe at the moment?
Their home and away form in the SPL is a strong one, and Smith and McCoist can only be pleased that each game brings in three points for them, as dodgy as their form and play can be they go into each game with confidence of the win, and this seems to be different from Glasgow rivals Celtic, who although play better football, seem to not always be able to hit home in the smaller games, maybe a bit of complacency settling in, which could lead to their downfall as the season draws on. So how are Rangers keeping up their winning record in Europe?
Okay winning is the wrong word, completely, in their last 20 European matches they have won just one of these, a record which is just embarrassing to any team, regardless of their position in Europe. Even Celtic, who failed miserably in Europe this year can boast having won more European games this season, than Rangers have in the last three years, but even still Rangers are once again looking ahead and sighting Dublin as the place where they will win a real European cup.
Attractive football, as good as it can be to watch, as entertaining and as captivating, does not always bring in the points. And really in football that is all that matters. Some teams will set out a passing game, string together lovely moves, but when they reach the goal net it doesn’t go in. Arsenal can be seen as the masters of this failed are. The word ‘sexy’ is really the only way to describe their football, and are unbeatable when they are on form…and putting the ball in the net, as when they don’t? Well then they get knocked out of three cups in two weeks. So what football wins you games? Yeah, you’ve got it, ‘Rangers football’.
Rangers football is dire. It’s ugly, it’s depressing, it’s boring and most of all it’s just terrible. Fans don’t want to see it, players don’t want to play it and the TV channels don’t want to show it. However it wins games. Grind out a draw away from home, play ten men behind the ball and hoof it up hoping for a miracle and before you know it you’re pushing for a last minute counter attacking goal at home to send you through to the next round, Rangers get this goal, always.
180 minutes of ‘Rangers football’ takes you to the point of wanting to just sit crying watching the game, you’re hoping for action, a few goals and some good football, but Ranger send out a defensive unit to sit on the ball the whole game and make sure the opposition don’t play their game at all, they also play the Rangers way, as much as I hate to say it Rangers football works well. It may be killing the game but at the same time, Rangers are likely to be up their in Dublin, they may even win the cup this year, they may do this by going through the competition winning hardly any games, boring supporters to tears and destroying Dublin city centre while they are at it. And while we all know that this isn’t true football, we all sit at home wishing our team had that winning way, those results and maybe that cup, but we can count ourselves lucky that we are not Rangers.
Simon Kermack
http://twitter.com/#!/KermackS