‘Phenomenal’ – Ally McCoist issues verdict on Rangers chances of winning Europa League
Ally McCoist has claimed that he does not believe Rangers can win the Europa League this season.
The Gers booked their passage to the final 16 of the competition with an impressive 4-2 aggregate win over SC Braga in the last round, and will now face Bayer Leverkusen over two legs.
But McCoist has admitted that he is trying to remain realistic over his former side’s prospects of going all the way.
Speaking on talkSPORT, as per the Scottish Sun, he said: “Winning a European trophy is a phenomenal achievement, particularly for a Scottish club in the current climate.
“It’s a hypothetical question, even I the eternal optimist, don’t think it will happen.
“But I would love to see it happen! I’d love to see Rangers in Poland playing in the Europa League final!”
Is McCoist right to be so pessimistic?
Let’s be completely honest here, in out heart of hearts, we all know that it’s going to take something special for Rangers to lift the Europa League.
You could argue, given how long they’ve been grafting away at this campaign and the fact that Celtic have already been booted out, that the Gers have already surpassed expectations, but that could actually prove to be an advantage.
There is no pressure anymore – nobody expects them to win the whole thing, and as Peter Crouch pointed out in his column for the Daily Mail this morning, Steven Gerrard thrives on that kind of underdog status.
Is it unlikely that Rangers will win the Europa League? Probably.
Have stranger things happened? Absolutely, yes.
In other Rangers news, Report – Key Ibrox first teamer back in contention for Scottish Cup clash v Hearts.