The Rangers of Glasgow

Well that's Glasgow calmed down a bit eh? What with tens of thousands of bams (and Fraser) taking the short trip south to Manchester to watch Rangers in the UEFA Cup final. Actually I'm not sure if Glasgow will be mental or a ghost town tonight.

Everyone who possibly feels like it has gone Rangers daft, with shops selling out of everything but small and XXXL size replica Rangers shirts. Including perhaps this stall selling Rangers merchandise that suddenly sprung up at the top of Buchanan Street. 'Businesses' in Manchester are reportedly delivering carry-outs to fans in the street. "So that's four bottles of Buckfast to the three guys with their shirts off waving a Gregor Stevens Bishopbriggs Loyal flag."

Do we think the Teddy Bears will triumph? Something tells me that they will. However don't underestimate Zenit, who humped both Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. Much like Celtic when they played in the same match 5 years ago Rangers are meeting an emerging European force. Porto weren't really rated back in 2003 until they gubbed Lazio in the semi. After narrowly beating Celtic they went on to lift the Champions' League trophy the following season.

There's been a lot of 'omens' written in the papers comparing Rangers chances tonight with what happened when they last lifted a European trophy in the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup final. Such as the opposition that night being Russian. Here's another though. Next week's Champions' League final is an all-English affair featuring Manchester United and Chelsea. The last time two English clubs played each in a European final was in 1972 when Spurs beat Wolves to lift the very first UEFA Cup.

This seems to me to be as good a time as any to celebrate a former Rangers legend.