Kaunas hell is behind us now – Gers boss

BOSS Walter Smith believes Rangers are ready for the first Old Firm game of the season having finally put their Kaunas nightmare behind them.

The Ibrox club crashed out of Europe to Vladimir Romanov's "other team" just weeks after participating in the UEFA Cup final and the Champions League qualifying defeat was a massive psychological blow

Smith admits a meeting with their biggest rivals in the days following the shock result would have been too much for his shattered players to handle.

But, having recovered sufficiently to gain SPL wins over Falkirk and Hearts – as well as a point at Aberdeen – Smith insists everyone at Ibrox is now relishing the trip to Celtic Park.

He said: "Had you asked me to play it immediately after Kaunas, we would haven't been.

"But we have recovered a bit and we are settling down. We have a tough start to the season with three away games from four. So, if we can manage to get a good result, it is a big bonus.

"Kaunas was as difficult an aftermath as I have had to handle, especially after the previous season. It was difficult to know how to approach it and handle it but, obviously, we are in far better spirits than we were."