WALTER SMITH insists he has no problem with Rangers being written off once again as they prepare to face Zenit St Petersburg in Wednesday's UEFA Cup final.
The Ibrox boss knows his players have been regarded as the underdogs for much of their European adventure this season.
From Champions League clashes with Barcelona, Stuttgart and Lyon to UEFA Cup ties against Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, Sporting
Lisbon and Fiorentina, Rangers have rarely been tipped to come out on top. Smith's men now face the final hurdle in the shape of Dick Advocaat's impressive Russians and the Rangers manager is more than comfortable not to be burdened with the label of favourites.
"It doesn't offend in any way, shape or form," he said. "That is the way it has been throughout this European campaign, so we just have to accept that and get on with it. So far, we've had a lot of negative comments about us. Hopefully, that will continue through to Thursday or Friday.
"We've had a lot of situations where people say that Rangers play anti-football, rubbish football or whatever.
"But for a first-year team, we've settled in well and, for those teams that have lost to us, if they are that good, why have they not beaten us?"
Rangers failed in their bid to have a free weekend ahead of the trip to Manchester, meaning Saturday's win over Dundee United represented their third SPL game in seven days.
"You can see the amount of work they are putting in," Smith said of his players. "It is a relief when you see the reward they get for it at the end. This season is a bit different because we're not playing on the same level playing field as the rest."
But, when asked if Rangers were galvanised by the injustice of their situation, Smith insisted: "I always say that is a poor motivation. It may well be a motivation but it's not the greatest one. The greatest motivation is to go and win."
Dundee United manager Craig Levein, meanwhile, criticised referee Mike McCurry after Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Rangers.
United were denied a penalty when David Weir looked to foul Noel Hunt. The visitors then had a goal disallowed when Danny Swanson's long-range shot was deflected in by Weir, with McCurry deciding United had a player in an offside position.
"I'm furious, honestly," Levein said. "We had a blatant penalty and he bottled it, and I thought Mike McCurry was one of the guys who had the balls to stand up and give these decisions, but he bottled it.
Not only was it a penalty kick, it was a sending-off." Levein confronted McCurry on the touchline after the Swanson strike was disallowed. "I said: 'What's the point in us turning up here, what's the point in us playing'" Levein revealed. "If there's not a level playing field and we don't get the blatant, important decisions, what's the point in us turning up?
We had a perfectly good goal chalked off, we had a blatant penalty and it was a sending-off.
"I think he knew he'd have to send the player off and he didn't want to do it, because it meant so much, this game, to Rangers."
The full article contains 553 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
