THERE were more than a few of the 48,000 inside Ibrox who allowed themselves to get swept away by an overwhelming sense of occasion. A summer's evening many of them longed for during frosty Friday night jaunts to Brechin and seaside horror shows to Peterhead, the sight of their team once again gracing European football was always going to be a landmark moment.
“We’ve got our Rangers back” was the chant to the left reverberating from the Broomloan Road stand, the din coming from beneath a huge paper display with the message ‘it’s good to be back’ scrolled along the top. Rangers were indeed, back. Where though, and for how long, that remains to be seen.
The romance of football can mean everything. But love is indeed in the eyes of the beholder, and here the magic dilating the pupils of these Rangers supporters seeing their team back on the European stage, even if one of a far smaller scale, was enough. However, this was still a night that still posed questions that to cut through the observations of the few objective onlookers in a crammed Ibrox under a moody Govan sky.
Read more: Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha: I’m not going to make miracles
Dave King, the Rangers chairman and majority shareholder, did his best in a rousing warm up speech as he took to the microphone beforehand. In what was in essence an appeal to supporters to behave themselves and don’t do any daft – most obeyed this message but unsurprisingly some didn’t – the words booming round the stadium only heightened the hysteria in the stands.
“This is a special occasion for all Rangers supporters,” he said to rapturous applause. “We are back on the European stage for the first time in six years. We all have a part to play in making this a night to remember. Together we’ve come a long way, we are all ambassadors for our great club of ours.”
While it was a great night no doubt for the fans applauding the man who in recent weeks has played to them again and again in recent weeks, the fact the team on the park only managed to earn a 1-0 win against the mighty Progres Niederkorn of Luxembourg should not be overlooked. It was a landmark occasion but far from a landmark display here.
Given we are still in June, it’s perhaps harsh to be too critical of a squad thrown together in recent weeks. Eight signings have been brought in by Pedro Caixinha since the opening of the transfer window, just three made it into his starting line up here. All three in Fabio Cardoso, Dalcio and Ryan Jack achieved pass marks.
Read more: Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha: I’m not going to make miracles
This is undoubtedly a Rangers team that will improve as time goes on as more of the newcomers come into the team. And they need to. While Niko Kranjcar if kept fit will be a pivotal player this season – he looked like he was blowing out his you-know-what when he was eventually removed with just over 20 minutes to go – there are those whose place in this starting line-up will surely be in doubt.
Martyn Waghorn’s case to start in attack wasn’t helped here despite plenty of endeavour, and a run of goals from Alfredo Morelos could well oust him for the team. There are others dotted behind him who may fear the same.
As the night grew on and the light dimmed in Glasgow, Rangers faded as well. On the back of a first half defined by the skill and class of Kranjcar, his dwindling influence allowed the visitors to slowly creep into the game. One moment of indecisiveness from David Bates almost proved costly.
The message to take from this game? Rangers are indeed back in European football, at the moment in the most modest of settings. But if they are to continue to progress the rounds, the progress on the park must continue at pace. When the flutters subside and the microscope turns on the fact Sebastian Flauss in the Progres goal was hardly overworked despite great passages of Rangers possession, the name of their opponents gives a hint at what Rangers need on Tuesday and beyond. And it's not some Niederkorn.
While grinding out a 1-0 win in front of 48,000 love-sick supporters is one thing, can they do it on a cold night in Luxembourg City?
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