WALTER SMITH admits watching the Champions League this week and knowing Rangers would not be involved was almost as hard to take as their defeat to Kaunas.
The shock capitulation to the Lithuanian side back in July saw last season's UEFA Cup finalists crash out of European competition completely before the domestic campaign was even under way.
Smith has worked tirelessly since then to ensure Rangers
put that disappointment behind them and focus all their efforts on wresting the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title from Celtic's grasp.
But, as the Scottish champions and top teams throughout the continent began their Champions League campaigns in earnest, Smith could not prevent himself from thinking of what might have been.
"I don't think there is any doubt it has hit home, particularly at the start of this week," he said. "Once you qualify for the Champions League, you look forward to a number of games.
"I'll not say this week was more disappointing than the result in Kaunas, but it probably equals it, knowing that European football of any kind is going on. It was a bad week for us in that respect.
"I watched some of the games on television. You see the likes of Panathinaikos, Fiorentina and Werder Bremen in the Champions League so the start of the week was tough for us." The strain of competing on all fronts took its toll last season when Rangers missed out on both the UEFA Cup and the SPL title within a matter of days.
This time around, Smith's men have had a full week to prepare for the visit of Motherwell tomorrow, while the Steelmen have had just a few days to recover from their UEFA Cup exploits against French side Nancy.
"It's no consolation that we get a week's full training," insisted Smith. "I don't care if Europe would help us or otherwise, you want to be involved in Europe, preferably at Champions League level.
"Even if you lose a game there, it is difficult to take but still far more enjoyable being there than not at all.
"Coming back from Europe and playing league matches is still preferable to not having Europe, there is no doubt about that."
The full article contains 380 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
