Get yer quote... yer leavin’
THE writing is on the wall for any rival that dares underestimate Rangers in Europe this season. Steven Gerrard revealed his team are still being treated lightly despite only two defeats in 23 Europa League fixtures – and he couldn’t be happier. Gerrard took his tally to 12 games at Ibrox without defeat against continental opposition with the win over Feyenoord in the Group G opener, his 75th match as Rangers manager. The Light Blues have not been behind for a single second in Europe since they kicked off this campaign against St Joseph’s on July 9. The 1-0 defeat of the Dutch follows victories against other sides with respected Euro pedigrees, including Legia Warsaw and Midtjylland, in a venue Gerrard considers one of the top six for atmosphere in world football. But it’s not only the fans who are fuelling a desire for success as Gerrard is adamant comments from rival players are also stoking the fires of ambition among his squad. He publicly took former Celtic defender Erik Sviatchenko to task after the defeat of Midtjylland last month in the qualifying rounds. He also reckoned Feyenoord were guilty of taking Rangers for granted in the build up to Thursday’s emotional encounter – and wasn’t slow in letting his players know. Gerrard said: “I like to really study the media for what the opposition players are saying and what kind of feeling I am getting from them. “And there were quite a few quotes where people thought they were going to come to Ibrox and really enjoy themselves on Thursday night. “If teams want to have that confidence then fine, it’s no problem. But we have to use all those small details and margins in our favour. “The comments go on the dressing-room wall. They go on the biggest screen I can find. Is it having the right impact on my players? It did last night. “For sure, I took motivation from opposition comments when I was a player. When teams came to Anfield my responsibility was to protect my own home. “It was my job to do everything.