Gers standing on the shoulders of giants

European

Rangers 0 Zenit St Petersburg 2: Arshavin silences Rangers hordes

Thursday, May 15, 2008

By Stuart McKinley in Manchester

Manchester rocked to a new beat last night. In the 1980s and '90s the city was the hub of a thriving north-west music scene.

Oasis, The Stone Roses, The Happy Mondays, New Order and Take That. If a band came from the area they were almost guaranteed to be a success.

Hit after hit; number one followed number one.

Topping the charts wasn't in the mind of those who were belting out the tunes yesterday, they were more interested in a silver trophy rather than a gold disc.

They had come to watch their beloved Rangers team in the UEFA Cup final battle with Zenit St Petersburg of Russia.

It is 36 years since the Glasgow giants were last in a European final and the fans — many of whom wouldn't have been born then — were determined to make up for lost time.

They didn't just fill the designated fans areas in the city, they simply filled the city.

Albert Square — there's a real one in Manchester as well as the fictional one on television — was crammed full. Piccadilly Gardens, which is usually such a quiet place, was totally over-run and the road to the stadium seemed to have more Rangers fans than Manchester City's home actually holds.

The entire place was turned into another suburb of Glasgow and the last Rangers fan to leave Scotland had been asked to turn off the lights.

The atmosphere that is usually only found inside Ibrox Stadium created a unique backdrop to a unique occasion. One t-shirt read: "It's Another Blue and White Invasion" — and it was.

It's a century or two since Scotsmen last entered England in such large numbers.

Back then victory was all that mattered - and they'd have given anything to achieve that - this time it didn't seem to be quite so important.

Those fans kitted out in red, white and blue entered Manchester on planes, trains and automobiles with many making the trip across the Irish Sea from Northern Ireland.

Most of them didn't have a ticket for the game, many were even without a room for the night, but they came to party - and party they did.

Not just from yesterday morning, but from Tuesday they had filled the streets, getting into the spirit of the final — sales of Irn Bru have never been so high anywhere in England.

Having seen their team brush off every challenge so far in the competition they came with a dream.

No Scottish team has tasted victory in a European final more than once and, having had to put up with jibes from Celtic fans for the last 40 years, that they won the European Cup with a team made up of players within easy reach of Parkhead, the Rangers fans had been wanting a quick retort.

The dream will have to live on for another day for this was no picnic for the Teddy Bears on the pitch - overcoming Zenit St Petersburg proving to be a step too far.

But no-one will forget this memorable journey to Manchester and the Gers fans certainly won't look back in anger.