(((Fergus)))
25-11-2009, 10:00 AM
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. :agree:
"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." :thumbsup:
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."
http://v6.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=huomfd&s=6
http://v6.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=hs7rpy&s=6
http://v6.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=rho7bs&s=6
http://v6.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=a587jp&s=6
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. :agree:
"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." :thumbsup:
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."
http://v6.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=huomfd&s=6
http://v6.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=hs7rpy&s=6
http://v6.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=rho7bs&s=6
http://v6.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=a587jp&s=6