Kris Boyd finds small mercy that Rangers will be ‘absolutely delighted’ about
Rangers will be “absolutely delighted” that their ill-fated return to the Champions League group stage is finally over, according to Kris Boyd.
After waiting over a decade to get back to the top table in European football the Gers crashed out with the unwanted tag of the worst-ever record in the group stage, with no points, just two goals, and a goal difference of minus 20.
And the former Ibrox striker believes the negativity that each heavy defeat was breeding can finally be put out of miind, allowing the players to rebuild their confidence domestically.
The Sky Sports pundit told OLGB: “I think Rangers Football Club will be absolutely delighted that the Champions League campaign is over. It’s produced a lot of negativity and the players have had a dent to their confidence because that’s what happens when you lose games heavily.
“Rangers have got three massive games now before the World Cup that they’re going to have to take nine points from. The disappointing thing for Rangers will be that the European campaign, albeit the Europa League, carried so much positivity to the football club but it’s been the opposite this year.
“They had all the plaudits last year and so now they have to deal with people being critical this year – that’s part and parcel of being at a big football club if things don’t go right.”
Write off
There was really nothing to enjoy in Europe this season, marking a stark contrast to the previous campaign where there were so many memorable nights at Ibrox on the way to the Europa League final.
It wasn’t how anybody connected to the club wanted it to go, but since it did it will just be a relief that it is over.
No club can avoid the misery of defeat, and there will be recriminations for some time on the subject of why the team was so ill-prepared, but the Gers are at least now out of the firing line of some of Europe’s best.
But they have to make the most of going from being a small fish in a big pond to being a huge fish in the Scottish pond.
The Light Blues have a job on their hands to fight back in the SFPL and overhaul Celtic, with failure to do so off the back of the continental horrors meaning more serious consequences.
Results domestically have been up and down, but surely can’t have been helped by repeated drubbings in Europe, so without that negative distraction they simply must improve and push to regain the league title.
In other Rangers news, an ex-Celtic hero claims the Bears have gone backwards and that they are going to lose one of their best players.