Gerrard has Gers daring to dream again after years out of Euro zone

FROM falling at the first hurdle to having the finish line in sight. It has been quite a transformation in fortunes for Rangers when it comes to the Europa League.

When Pedro Caixinha was standing in the bush outside the Stade Josy Barthel last July, the group stages of a European competition seemed a distant dream for longsuffering supporters.

Now, Steven Gerrard’s side are just 90 minutes away from achieving what few thought would be possible when he started his Rangers revolution this summer.

Last season it was all about Progres. This time it has been progress that has been the main theme as Rangers have improved on the park and moved through the rounds.

The first-stage success against Shkupi was to be expected but Osijek and Maribor provided far sterner challenges. They are ones that Gerrard’s side have risen to and passed impressively.

If the Gers had come unstuck against the Croats or the Slovenians, there would have been ready-made excuses for Gerrard as he tried to hastily overhaul a squad and assemble a team before the start of the Premiership campaign.

Expectation levels have risen as the matches have come and gone, however, and there would be a real feeling of disappointment and a sense of opportunity missed should Rangers not make it through their fourth and final qualification tie.

At the start of it all, many would have been forgiven for suggesting that Europe was more hassle than it was worth for Rangers right now considering that Gerrard was just in

the door at Ibrox and there were far more important items on his to-do list.

That isn’t the case ahead of the trip to Ufa this week, though, and Gerrard will urge his players to make the most of the opportunity that they have earned themselves.

Qualifying for the group stages will come with its own complications in terms of the fixture scheduling and the strain it would put on the Gers squad. Considering all of the issues that have come to light at Ibrox in recent years, they are relatively minor in comparison.

The cheque from UEFA that Rangers would be able to cash would give Gerrard more resources in the transfer market and be a welcome boost to the balance sheet as investors continue to fund the Light Blues rebuilding job.

It is in the European arena that Rangers must compete on a regular basis if the club is to return to its former glory and a group berth this term would see them pass another significant marker post on the road to recovery.

Gerrard was challenged to achieve that aim by the Gers board this summer and, so far, he and his players have lived up to it. Given their efforts thus far, they will be determined not to fall short in Russia on Thursday evening.

Missing out would not be the disaster or humiliation that it was last season and the experience gained and matches played will stand Rangers in good stead whatever happens this week.

A year on from their European nightmare, fans are right to dare to dream on the continent once again. This is the biggest game Rangers have had for quite some time. AND ANOTHER THING... The loss of Jamie Murphy is a significant blow for Rangers and boss Steven Gerrard, but it will be even harder to take for the man himself.

Murphy spoke before the game in Maribor about the part he could have to play, both in terms of goals and assists, during his first full season at Ibrox.

The cruciate ligament damage he sustained on the plastic pitch at Rugby Park has ended his campaign before it has really got off and running and denied him the chance to showcase his talents in the coming months.

Players getting injured is, of course, part of the game but it is hard not to feel huge sympathy for the 28-year-old after he completed his move to his boyhood heroes earlier this summer.

The Rangers and Scotland squads are poorer without him and he deserves all the well-wishes he has received as he embarks on a rehabilitation process that will hopefully see him return to action as soon as possible.

‘‘ Last season it was all about Progress. This time it has been progress that is the main theme