'Boring' Gers have every right to cheer

THEY came, they bored their opponents to death and they nearly walked away with the UEFA Cup.

That might be the prevailing wisdom on Rangers' enthralling UEFA Cup run that ended in a 2-0 defeat to Zenit St Petersburg on Wednesday night.

And, no doubt, the words "good riddance" will be on the minds of many football fans happy to see Rangers' defensive style come a cropper in the final.

However, dismissing their exploits as simply those of plucky underdogs does Walter Smith's men a disservice.

I grew up watching football in the late '80s and early '90s, when Italian clubs ruled the roost in Europe and the very attributes that Rangers have displayed this season - obdurate defending, good organisation and a slavish adherence to the team rather than individual players - were lauded, not pilloried as "anti-football."

The way that Rangers set out their stall this year was, back then, seen as being common sense and British sides that went out gung-ho against continental opposition were dismissed as naive.

Few neutral fans in Britain have given Rangers much sympathy since their defeat and that might be because their style of football has been misinterpreted as an abandonment of their roots.

British football, from the moment that children begin running round on the playground like headless chickens, has always been fast and furious and, in its worst form, often lacking composure or common sense.

Rangers' advance to the final, by comparison, perhaps seems too cold and calculating and, dare I say, a bit too European.

That so many British fans have grown accustomed to watching the free-flowing likes of the English Premier League and the Champions League can't have helped Rangers' image either.

Unlike 15 years ago, football is now part of the entertainment business. Fans know how much footballers are paid and demand to see a show.

New fans have been recruited too, some of whom won't have been watching the sport even five years ago, and they aren't as tolerant as those who have supported a team from childhood through to adulthood.

Anyone who has visited Stamford Bridge this season and heard some of the abuse being thrown in Chelsea boss Avram Grant's direction will have some idea of what can happen when the johnny-come-latelys begin to outnumber the long-standing supporters.

If narrowly losing the Premier League title and reaching the Champions League final isn't enough for some people, then what chance do Rangers have of winning over their doubters?

What is most unfathomable is that one of the biggest sources of anti-Rangers sentiment has emanated from Italy, where Rangers beat Fiorentina in the semi-final.

After all, Italian clubs have turned defending into an art form. World-class wingers have often failed out there and, if a striker scores 15 times in a season in Serie A, he's done rather well. Serie A, for these very reasons, could never become a global brand in the same way as the English Premier League or Spain's La Liga.

Yet, when the Italian national team won the World Cup in 2006, drawing with the US and snatching a 1-0 win over Australia along the way while playing the most stultifying defensive football, Italy, quite rightly, celebrated.

Rangers, although they fell just short in the end, have every right to congratulate themselves on their terrific European adventure.