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    Rangers' Champions League draw was perfect, says new chairman

    Aug 28 2009 Keith Jackson

    NEW Rangers chairman Alistair Johnston last night backed Walter Smith to blitz a path for Rangers out of the Group of Dull and straight into the last 16 of the Champions League.

    Johnston placed a transatlantic call to Record Sport here in Monte Carlo moments after Smith and his team had come out of the pot in Group G along with Spanish outfit Sevilla, old Bundesliga rivals VfB Stuttgart and skint Romanians Unirea Urziceni.

    The draw could hardly have been kinder to the SPL champions .

    They managed to dodge all the biggest guns and now look forward to a crucial double header in the middle of the campaign against the unknowns of Urziceni - a side of Champions League rookies who were attempting to sign Morton's Jim McAlister just a few weeks ago.

    And Johnston, the man who has taken over from Sir David Murray at the helm of the cash-strapped Ibrox club, immediately talked up Smith's chances of leading his side into the knock-out stages.

    Hesaid: "I must be honest, I don't think it would have been possible for us to hand pick a better group. Obviously this is the Champions League we are talking about and under no circumstances would we expect to have anything easy.

    "This will still be a challenge. "But let's just say the draw could have been a lot harder on us when you look at the names of som eof the clubs we have avoided.

    "It really has given us some rays of sunlight.We are not going to be complacent but it couldn't have been much better.

    "The irony is that in these draws often the perceived wisdom is to wish for a really strong team to come out of Pot 1 - a team so much better than the rest that they sweep everyone else aside.

    "That then leaves the three other teams fighting it out for second and third place.

    "But this group promises to be a far more competitive affair. I'm not sure you could say any of the teams would be red-hot favourites. Sevilla are strong and we know all about Stuttgart .

    "I must admit my knowledge of the Romanian side is not all it could be but overall we go into this campaign feeling, quite rightly, as if we have a realistic chance of making the last 16."

    Johnston then revealed he has been preparing to take over the reins at Ibrox for much of the last six months after Murray first indicated he was ready to step down.

    He said: "When David mentioned it at first my reaction was to ask for sometime to think and say there may have to be some conditions attached.

    "The primary condition has always been the same - I'll only do this job if I feel that I can do something positive and contribute to the further success of Rangers FC. And, yes, I feel there is something I can offer."

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  3. #2
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    Thing is I thought it was also a great group for them, and thought they would do ok, I think it makes it all the better they are bottom of the most mediocre of groups.

  4. #3
    Testimonial Due Baw187's Avatar
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    A hun mate of mine posted on Facebook after the draw, that he'd run down Princes street in just a celtic top if the Huns didn't progress.

    I'm trying to establish the date of the event.

  5. #4
    Testimonial Due 'Mon the Hibs's Avatar
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    Stuttgart 1 - 1 Rangers
    Rangers 1 - 4 Sevilla
    Rangers 1 - 4 Urine Urinezia
    Urine 1 - 1 Rankgers
    Huns 0 - 2 Stuttgart
    sevilla ? - ? gers ..... my guess could be 4 or 5 nil to sevilla

    At home.... score 2, conceded 10

  6. #5
    Coaching Staff mjhibby's Avatar
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    Surely this shows how poor celtic and rangers are and unfortunately scottish football in general.While im sure we are all enjoying rangers getting humped again(even though chic of course predicted a rangers win)our standing in europe in coefficient and stature is plummetting so no doubt if we qualify for europe we will nead to beat probably two decent teams to get to the group stages.Stuttgart are 16th in the bundesliga for gods sake and unreal whatever they are.Over to yogi to restore our reputation.No pressure like.

  7. #6
    @hibs.net private member jacomo's Avatar
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    Rays of sunlight instead of moonbeams, eh?

    Things must really be looking up at Ibrox these days!

  8. #7
    Coaching Staff ahibby's Avatar
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    No wonder Boyd has dug his feet in at Rangers, where else would he earn as much for being fairly rank and enjoy such a high profile in local papers. In England he would disappear.

  9. #8
    Coaching Staff IWasThere2016's Avatar
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    At least Walter went 4 4 2 at home in Europe ..... 4 to Seville, 4 to Unirea and 2 to Stuttgart

  10. #9
    @hibs.net private member blackpoolhibs's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ahibby View Post
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    No wonder Boyd has dug his feet in at Rangers, where else would he earn as much for being fairly rank and enjoy such a high profile in local papers. In England he would disappear.

  11. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by ahibby View Post
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    No wonder Boyd has dug his feet in at Rangers, where else would he earn as much for being fairly rank and enjoy such a high profile in local papers. In England he would disappear.

    Spot on.

  12. #11
    @hibs.net private member NORTHERNHIBBY's Avatar
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    Cool

    The bit where he says not expecting to take things easy, is exactly what has undone both sides of the OF in Europe this year. The fact that they could have won in Germany, had them qualified more or less in some of their supporters eyes, cos Unirea was 6 points and Sevilla would skoosh Stuggart home and away. Just like that wee toaser Scot McDonald who said that Celtic could win the UEFA Cup once the trivial matter of qualifying from the group was out of the way. I guess it is back to the quality of the SPL holding them back again, apart from away in Russia for Celtic and of course from the the season that both teams reached the UEFA finals, and maybe the season that Celtic missed the last 8 of the CL by a bawhair.

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