Butch: Euro glory bigger than league
TERRY BUTCHER insists winning a European trophy is much bigger than winning the league – and he should know.
The former Rangers captain was part of Bobby Robson’s great Ipswich Town team which brought the UEFA Cup home in 1981, a side which included Scotland internationals John Wark, George Burley and Alan Brazil.
Back then they were aiming for a historic treble but that was their solitary prize and, 41 years later, Butcher reckons that was the best one they could have won.
He said: “We have a very good former players’ association at Ipswich.
“We do celebrate the landmark anniversaries of that triumph – the 10th, 20th, 25th and 30th were all marked and even the 40th – which had to be cancelled last year due to Covid – was rescheduled for this year.
“It was a beautiful night, a wonderful evening with all of your old team-mates there to share it with you.
“It was like the golden anniversary of Rangers winning the European Cup-Winners’ Cup in 1972 will be.
“When you win a European trophy it’s so different from domestic success, much more spectacular. Winning your national cups and leagues is great and I loved doing that but beating big-name European clubs and lifting a trophy? It’s like, ‘Wow!’
“Derek Johnstone said that to me as well when we were speaking together at a function. European trophies are so special.”
Butcher admits to being astonished that Rangers have overcome the financial gulf between the SPFL Premiership and the European elite clubs to be just one game away from Europa League glory.
He said: “You look at clubs from the big five countries, they have huge budgets due to the inflated broadcast and sponsorship deals they do and they can afford far better players and managers than the rest.
“It isn’t a level playing field any longer so for Rangers to do what they’ve done is a huge achievement.
“Just reaching the final is a feat in itself but once you’re there you want to win the trophy.
“Looking back, you can compare Rangers’ current season with ours at Ipswich in 1980/81. We were going for the treble of league, FA Cup and Europe and we only got the one, which was the UEFA Cup.
“But we’d won the league under Alf Ramsey in the 1960s and we had beaten Arsenal in the 1978 FA Cup Final so that success was even more special for us because it was something the club hadn’t done before. Or since, for that matter.”