THE EURO MILLIONS DRAW
Gerrard will never have a better chance of banking £10m jackpot
IF Steven Gerrard wanted a golden chance to make a spectacular start to his Rangers reign he certainly got one. When Pedro Caixinha waded through shrubbery outside the stadium in Luxembourg and tugged his caravan out of town after the desperate defeat to Progres just over a year ago, the Light Blues fans must have hoped they’d never hear the name of those minnows again. Yet, by a freak of fate, the men from Niederkorn have thrust out a firm hand of opportunity to Gerrard to right the wrongs of his Ibrox predecessor. The Scouser said after Sunday’s draw at Aberdeen the whole world was against Rangers. Clearly, no one told that to the guys who were pulling the names out of the bags at UEFA HQ in Nyon the following day. If Gers can progress beyond Maribor – who they face in the first leg of the third round qualifying tonight – they will face off against either Progres or Russian club Ufa in the final play-off. What a get when teams like Sevilla and Besiktas were kicking around. Look at Hibs. Victory over two legs against Molde will be likely be rewarded by a game against Zenit St Petersburg. A team assembled for a skipload of rubles who flicked Celtic out of the very same competition last season with all the struggle and toil of a gorilla flicking an ant off its shoulder.
Hibs have been handed a potentially tumultuous task yet on the face of it Rangers have a lesser one.
But in any case Gerrard is unlikely to have to deal with Progres. Likely next stage opposition would be Ufa, provided they don’t make the same catastrophic blunders at Pedro did.
The travel to Bashkortostan would be tricky and the surroundings treacherous, yet these are new boys to the European scene who won just 11 out of 30 league games in their top division to finish sixth last season.
It wouldn’t be easy, of course it wouldn’t. That’s the sort of uninformed and disrespectful attitude which has bitten Scottish supporters in the past.
It’s not Ragarse Rovers but at the same time it’s no one from an elite European league. It’s doable.
Which puts these next two ties into the massive category. Huge, immense.
There are folk out there saying Europe is just a bonus for Gerrard right now.
It’s more about being best of the rest domestically and closing the gap on Celtic which really matters.
But surely folk can see the direct link between the two?
The additional monies for making the group stage of the Europa League can go towards the £10million mark.
That’s virtually Gerrard’s spend this summer wiped out in one swoop.
Banking those group stage dollars from UEFA instantly allows him the chance to build more and add more.
Which makes these two Maribor games crucial. It’s clear they will be tougher opponents than the next ones.
The Slovenians make a habit of knocking out Scottish teams. Four in the past nine seasons. Hibs, Aberdeen, Celtic and Rangers themselves.
Maribor made it to the group stage of the Champions League last term. They are more than useful.
But nonetheless this is a massive chance. A massive opportunity for Gerrard and his players.
Regaining regular European football is a key part of Rangers’ restoration, not just in terms of excitement for supporters and prestige for the club but in vital finance.
Neil Lennon would love the chance to get the same cash and prestige into Easter Road.
Given his record in the transfer market imagine what he could do to Hibs with an injection of that size? John McGinn or no John McGinn.
Lennon’s been there and done it as a manager.
Gerrard, on the other hand, has only tasted Euro success as a player – albeit at the highest possible level by lifting the Champions League trophy.
As a manager it’s all new. But tonight is an opportunity for him to take a huge step.
By a freak of fate the men from Niederkorn have thrust out a firm hand of opportunity