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| | Friday 2 May, 2008 | | Blog: Revolting Rangers | | Rangers have reached the UEFA Cup Final with an approach that was either “heroic” or enough to make Susy Campanale lose her faith in football |  |  | | If I were a Rangers fan, I’d frankly be embarrassed right now rather than celebrating. To see a team play that badly, that negatively and that cynically and yet reach the UEFA Cup Final is a painful event for any admirer of this sport.
The British media was all over the “heroic” performance, but can you imagine what the same people would say if an Italian side played like that? The Catenaccio and “typical negative Italian” jokes would come out, combined with complaints that they were out to kill the game for fans and neutrals alike. It’s a farce to see Rangers praised for such an approach.
This is a team that scored five goals in eight games to reach the Final. Having difficulty scoring is one thing, but Rangers seem to start out with penalties at the forefront of their minds. They never intend to get a goal unless it’s on the break or from a lucky deflection.
I have never seen a club side defend so deep and at times I wondered whether the entire match would be played in one half of the field. Watching Scotland play you’d never dream of such a negative tactic, yet Rangers are in the running for four trophies despite the fact watching them is a dispiriting and depressing experience.
At least Zenit St Petersburg can be proud after a fantastic performance to crush Bayern Munich 4-0. Even with Luca Toni back from a ban, the Germans were unravelled by a side that knew how to attack as well as defend. Surely all neutrals will be cheering on the Russians in Manchester?
The UEFA Cup has often been one of shocks in recent years and Zenit are among the most impressive underdogs ever seen in the competition. Before a ball was even kicked in this campaign there have been dreams of the Toni v Viola Final, but as it turns out neither of them are turning up to the reunion. Maybe it’ll have to wait until the Champions League…
Of course this semi-final also proved beyond reasonable doubt that Christian Vieri has left his retirement at least two years too late. Every time Bobo lumbers on to the pitch with a wobbly belly and increasingly daft haircut, a little bit more of the respect that the football world still has for this man ebbs away down the drain. He strikes a pitiful figure and at this rate would struggle to find first team football at Bari. Someone put him out of his misery.
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I am absolutely 100 per cent sure that what Susy said is correct. With 10 men behind the ball and their first shot at the 76th minute, is that what you called a 'result'? I think you'll agree that its better to play a soccer game in PS2 rather than playing football like that. It’s a disgrace to football itself.
I am myself an Italian football fan, and I honestly find it more interesting than any British 'Top' Leagues. They claim they are the best league in the world, therefore playing the most attractive football, and yet they get their results as what can be described as cowards. Their media is always praising their players, and yet not even ONE representative from UK and Ireland will play at EURO 2008? It may be the most lucrative leagues in the world, but not the best in terms of quality of football. It is just money, money, money. They bought quality, at the end of the day they themselves suffer. While you guys are excited that this will be an 'All-English Final', I think one hand would be enough to count how many English players will be in the first team lists on the grand stage itself.
S3110973, Australia
What a shockingly poor piece of writing! Anyone connected to Italian football having the audacity to begrudge a team that know how to defend is the very definition of irony. The Rangers side fielded against Fiorentina was put together for around £7m. It included five Bosman players, one loan signing and one player, our captain, that has progressed from the youth team. Compare this to the financial muscle of Fiorentina, Zenit or Bayern, and anyone with any knowledge of football would appreciate that Rangers are punching above their weight and have made remarkable progress for a team considered only to be in transition.
There's bitterness and then there's rampant stupidity and I'm afraid this blog displays both. Rangers played to their strengths and progressed. Would the sensible alternative have been to play fancy football only to be humiliated like Bayern were? No. Defending is part of the art of the game. Rangers are currently damn good at it.
Andy
If Rangers played such a "bad" game of football, why are we in the UEFA Cup Final? Granted Rangers’ performance wasn’t the most dynamic or entertaining, but let’s be honest, if you know for a fact that you are playing against a team like Fiorentina, would you leave the door open for them given that a number of the Rangers first team was injured or on the bench? Of course you wouldn’t. Walter Smith did exactly what was required, it doesn’t matter if you sit deep and repel attack after attack after attack.
Daryl Young
The disgraceful thing is not the way Rangers reached the Final, but the fact that a LEMON like Christian Vieri is allowed to wear a Fiorentina short and even take a penalty kick in a semi-final shoot-out. That LEMON couldn’t hit the back of the net even without the goalkeeper.
Christian
Firstly you are right when you say that football is a win at all costs sport. The issue here is the irony that Rangers are a British team that employed the same tactics as Italy 40 years ago and were lauded as heroic. If Italy do the same they get slaughtered. As some people have rightly mentioned Juve and Milan have destroy teams down the years with spectacular attacking football and they are still labelled as being defensive, so with the Brits you just can't win. One example I will quote is Euro 2000. Italy played good stuff up to the semi finals, then due to Zambrotta being sent off played one defensive game and I believe the BBC pundit said when Italy beat the Dutch on penalties 'Football has not been well served tonight' and that was one of the more polite comments. Re: the same comments during the 2006 World Cup after being down to 10 men against Australia. I was told by one person that Italy won the tournament due to blind luck.
So you can see why we get fed up with unjustified abuse we get after seeing junk football like that. I believe that is why this article was written. Finally, a point to all the people who said that Rangers have a limited budget and everything else to do with money. I believe that Rangers are a bigger name that Zenit St Petersburg and they have a bigger budget. So tell me why is it that this unknown Russian team has managed to get the Final by destroying two of the best German teams in the process and why is it the more famous opponents Rangers have got there with Joke Football?
Enrico
This is a results based sport, fair enough play attractive attacking football, great to see but you end up with nothing. Ask Arsenal! The gauntlet was laid for the Viola come and break Rangers down. They have "world class" players with the likes of Mutu and they should have been able to do this and of course score the crucial goal. The fact is that they aren’t good enough, many Italians are forgetting that the British public are now able to watch Serie A on TV and this isn’t the attacking football that many would like us to believe! Did Greece win the Euros with attacking football I think not!
Bob, Scotland
Rangers were indeed revolting. It was really painful watching the game. I only watched it because of my general interest in Italian football. In my view the whole essence of football is to provide entertainment to the audience. I can’t remember watching such a dire semi final. With this kind of display UEFA should consider scrapping the UEFA cup. Rangers were so poor and Fiorentina were just average and this is a semi final! I watch Barcelona, Milan and Arsenal simply because they play the best soccer. I cannot see myself paying money to watch a team like Rangers. No way.
Amina, Lagos
Winning is winning, losing is losing. Your whining is whining. The way Rangers played was not cowardice. It was about application of the resources they had at their disposal, and doing so in the most efficient manner possible. At the end of the day it was all about coming away with a positive result. Notice the use of the word result – not performance. The performance was pretty poor for the most part, but from a team who overall are probably worth about as much as Mutu it was a great win.
Defence is a huge part of the game, just as much as attacking. I keep hearing about Messi's "anti-football" comment. I would be interested to hear what Puyol or Gabriel Milito would have to say on the matter.
Imagine, for example, a boxing match in which one opponent keeps taking hits for 10 rounds, with only his blocks, a few weak counters and a bit of luck keeping him on his feet. He just keeps going, standing there taking everything the other man throws at him, then at the last minute, with one strong, decisive uppercut he knocks the other to the floor, and makes sure he stays there. He would be praised for his constitution, the sheer force of his will and the composure and strength to hit when it really hurts.
Sure in boxing points are given, but unfortunately for the Fiorentina fans there are no judges in football. Only results.
Ben, Glasgow
I hope since you seem to have time to mess around online that all the vacuuming is finished? Football is for boys not blinkered nationalistic girlies like you. Rangers were a European force and a world wide name when you were knee high to the ironing board, darling. Toddle off now and come back when you've got a man who knows something about soccer. Forza the Teddy Bears.
Alex, Killie
LOL at the Brits, if the Italians did that you and your media would have started crying. Well done Susy , Rangers don't deserve it at all.
deebo
The fact is Fiorentina were not good enough to beat Rangers. Look at it any way you want, but that is the fact. You seem to also enjoy writing your blog without actually gathering any information, as Rangers will finish this season having played 68 games! How many have Fiorentina played? That is why lately Rangers have not been at their best and have had to defend and attack when they can. Earlier in the year Rangers were in the Champions League, they put three goals past the French champions Lyon away, two past the German champions Stuttgart at home and two past them away.
Another thing is I don’t hear you moaning about how Manchester United got to the Champions League Final, all they did in both legs of their games with Barcelona was defend. If you want to talk about disappointing teams and who you will be supporting in the Final, do you remember a certain Champions League Final a few years ago featuring Milan and Juventus? It was the most boring lacklustre Final I have ever seen, yet you seem to forget all this in your little strop about how your useless Italian team could not beat the better British team.
Paul
Thank you Susy Campanale for writing on the website exactly what I was thinking. As a Viola fan I have to reluctantly accept that we should have put at least one chance away over the two legs, but for the ITV commentary team to go on about how brilliant Rangers were when they were playing the same negative football that they constantly accuse Italian sides of adopting (even though that hasn't been the case for many years) was a bit rich. I notice too that on your website today there is a quote from Cesare Prandelli in which he graciously accepts the defeat but on the BBC website one that makes him sound like a sore loser. Hmmmm.
I get sick and tired of the British media banging on about how great our teams are and now Rangers have bored their way to the UEFA Cup Final and we have an all-English Champions League final (which will probably be as uninspiring as most League games between the 'big four' are) no doubt there will be a tidal wave of it soon. It's a shame that there's no option to have an Italian commentary on games involving Serie A sides in Europe. I can't actually speak Italian but it'd have to be an improvement.
Andrew Spokes, Birmingham
Living in France, I can tell you that this semi-final has been seen as a non-event by our media. I watched the first game on TV, but avoided the return leg as I couldn't see the Scottish team do anything else but defend for the 90 minutes. Like the ultra-defensive Greek team in Euro 2004, no-one will remember the names of their players this time next year. It is a sad day for the world of football when teams that score so few goals and win so few games can still reach a major final. That may be the rules, but it doesn't mean that I or any other football lover has to like it. Hopefully next season will see better teams. If not, the TV companies might start to pay less for the football 'product' as viewers turn off.
Raymond De Pretre, Antibes.
I tuned in hoping to see Fiorentina get the result they deserved after the travesty of the first leg. I've never seen such a negative performance in a home leg of a European tie than I did at Ibrox.
You are correct to say the media praise of Walter Smith's dull, disfigured mutant of true football is misplaced. I heard plenty of Rangers fans saying that it was hypocrisy for Italians to complain about 'catenaccio'. I will overlook the fact that the stereotype went out the window years ago, but if I remember correctly Italian sides like Milan, Juventus and Inter in the 1960s all won European Cups by playing good attacking football as well as having a solid defence. Parking 10 men in your own half is NOT catenaccio.
They say imitation is the best form of flattery, but when the flattery is coming from something as pathetic, vulgar and talentless as Walter Smith's current Rangers side I don't think it is welcomed at all. I just hope that Zenit St Petersburg destroy Rangers in the Final and completely humiliate them. Should they actually win this tournament it will just send out a message to all clubs around Europe filled with talentless brutes and rejects that they can defeat teams who go out to play the beautiful game with skill and pride by boring their opponents out of their minds.
Scott Jackson
I find it quite laughable your attack on Rangers. One simple question, if Rangers are that bad how did the mighty Fiorentina not score against us in over two hours of football? I am anxious to hear your ill-informed response, as reading back through editions of Calcio Italia you have a terrible problem with verbal diarrhoea. Brought on by nothing more than a university degree which makes you think you know anything about football.
Colin M. Jack
When Europe showed its discontent at Italy's apparent defensive football, we used to answer back saying that it should be admired rather than ridiculed. So why does Susy act in a hypocritical manner? Is it because one of our clubs have been beaten by this style of play? This is indeed nothing but sour grapes.
Manchester United did the very same thing against Barcelona for two legs, and yet Barcelona didn't complain. There are two sayings in football. The first is: 'We played the football, and you scored the goals'. The second being: 'To win football matches, you have to ultimately score goals'. Fiorentina huffed and puffed, but never truly looked like breaking down the Rangers rearguard. Add to this the cheating by Liverani to send Cousin off. This ultimately came back to haunt him, when he missed his penalty.
Susy is a supposed Milanista. Instead of being happy that this result might just aid our qualification for the Champions League, she had jumped on the Forza Italia bandwagon, of supporting all our clubs in Europe. This is certainly strange to explain, but I think living in England for a long time has began to seriously change her mentality. Would she be saying the same thing if it was Inter beaten this way? I would hope not....but then you never know.
Rosario
You have said it in your own blog. What would the Press be saying if the boot was on the other foot. I don't think that you would have decided to write a blog about it. The fact is Fiorentina have a better side than Rangers so Rangers played to their strengths. At the end of the day if Fiorentina were good enough then they would have been able to break down the Rangers defence after over three hours of football. Not the best to watch, but fair play to Rangers.
Neil
I do agree that Rangers did not try to play attacking football last night, but with the players they have at their disposal is the most important aspect not to set your team out in the most effective way possibile to achieve a result? I am a great fan of Italian football, however, the aspect of the game which annoys me most is teams that believe they 'deserve' a result and spend the whole week prior to the game informing the media of how easy the tie is going to be. If Rangers were so poor then how did Fiorentina not manage to force Neil Alexander into a meaningful save in over three hours of football? You can obviously discount the minutes in which Christian Vieri was involved here, his chances of scoring were about as likely as Rangers stringing seven or eight passes together. I feel Tangers may struggle against St Petursburg in the Final as they seem to be able to create chances at will, on the basis of last nights game, however, Fiorentina ultimately got what they 'deserved.'
Martin
Susy must surely feel out of place every time she visits this website - a place normally frequented by football supporters. She betrays her lack of understanding by commenting that she'd be embarrassed to be a Rangers fan after the manner in which they won last night’s match. In my opinion, one shared by other supporters, it's irrelevant how you win. You don't get a rating after your name on a trophy - just your name!
"If an Italian side played like that the catenaccio jokes would come out"?? Susy, the team who are going to win the Scudetto on Sunday, at the Stadio Meazza, play like that! Inter have based a sound game on soaking up pressure. If you think that style of play so bad, what does it say about Serie A when it's going to be won by a similar method?
Gavin Bell
I'm a fan of attacking football but I have to admit that football is not only about attacking display and beautiful passes, it's also about scoring goals and winning matches. The Viola played some good football at times yesterday but were poor in front of goal. And remember the game was over two legs and they failed to score in both games. That's the difference between a good and a great team. I'm far from defending Rangers’ tactical display, but 10 years from now history will tell that the Gers reached UEFA Cup Final by defeating the Viola rather than putting up a poor football display or refusing to play football. It may seem unfair but football is all about scoring goals (including penalty kicks) and if you can add style to it then good for you.
As a neutral fan, I acknowledge I like open games with some breathtaking attacks and counter attacks BUT I understand football is also about organisation, discipline and winning at any cost. And if someone has told Prandelli before the match that if he shut off the game completely he is guaranteed to qualify on penalty kicks, I almost sure he would have taken that because at the end of the day the only thing that matters is the final outcome. Well, may be someone told Walter Smith that before the game.
Bobby
I couldn't agree more. Rangers have been absolutely dire to watch all season. So what if they've made it to the Final; they've won no admirers in the process and in fact, I'm sure everyone they've met in the competition so far will hope they get what they deserve against Zenit. I've heard Celtic supporters moan about the style of football of Gordon Strachan but, compared to what Rangers are dishing up, they can think themselves lucky. Rangers 'Pride Of Scotland'? I don't think so!!
Jim
If put in proper context, I believe what Susy is saying boils down to this - it is ironic that as a British team, the Scots should rely on tactics to win a game that they have complained about Italians having used for years and years. In fact, the Brits (including Scots, Welsh, and Northern Irish) have continued to complain about "catenaccio" being employed by Italians well after the 70s, when such tactics were clearly over and done with.
To be honest about Fiorentina, though, they are a well organised team that can move the ball fluidly, but they are much overrated. Mutu, while a decent player, often resorts to play acting and diving when he does not get the kind of results he likes. With more experience they could have better adjusted to the style of play Rangers were throwing at them.
On the other hand, in regards to the comment posted by Colin Jack - if you have ever played football, not just watched it, you should know that if an entire team of 11 men all play in defence, then it is easy to prevent any team, even the best from scoring - 11 against 6 is not much of a contest. Even "catenaccio" was never as extreme as what Rangers tried in this game.
Scottish fans can certainly be happy about the result they got against a decent Italian side, but have nothing to be proud of as far as the kind of football their team is capable of playing. Good luck trying to pull this off against Zenit.
Gio Libertino
Susy is accurate again with her comments, this time on Rangers. It was very hard for me as a Scot to actually want them to lose ...as I did when it was Celtic and Martin O’Neill’s “get it in the box game” in Seville, but I am a fan of football first and foremost. Lionel Messi’s comments of anti-football said it all and if Walter Smith had the chance of signing him ...he would probably pass for a big clumsy winger to hit long diagonal balls to. I hope Rangers don’t get their 0-0 draw in Manchester.
Next season is even more worrying as teams will see this trend of negative tactics being successful and start to deploy them. Even the usually entertaining Man Utd succumbed to them to beat Barca. Frank Rijkaard was right saying it is a disaster for the neutral. Just over a year ago we watched an awesome Milan sweep past Man Utd with breathtaking football.....where did it all go wrong ??
That’s two finals I wont be watching this year for the first time ever. Well done Susy, keep up the great columns for the real football fans!
Gary Parker
I like all football, I even watch pub football on satellite, but what I watched last night has scarred me for life. As a Brit, I should want them to win the Final, but that showing of anti-football has ruined any chance of that. RIP Football, if a team like that wins the UEFA Cup.
Martin Waters
Susy is 100% correct. There's nothing heroic in cowardice. Rangers were playing for penalties since the first leg. The hypocrisy of the British Press is beyond a joke. Even when the likes of Milan and Juve were thrashing teams in Europe Italian clubs were still accused of being defensive. British sides are the new masters of catenaccio only they play it without any style.
R Mehdi, Middlesbrough
I agree wholeheartedly with Lionel Messi’s comments that Rangers are ‘anti-football’. I have never seen a top level side play so defensively. You can excuse it perhaps when Luxembourg play Portugal, for example. However for a team full of internationals to play such dire football was, frankly, disgraceful. If Rangers had been looking to attack on the break, with quick, incisive counter attacks it would have been understandable. But they never even really attempted to mount purposeful counter attacks, other than hoofing the ball and then getting nine (sometimes 10) outfield players behind the ball (They didn’t actually get a single shot on goal until the 76th minute). It was honestly one of the most depressing displays of football I have ever seen.
Mark B.
I am a Rangers fan and today am quite justifiably celebrating my team reaching a European Final for the first time in my lifetime. I am proud beyond words of what they have achieved with limited spending power, a lengthy injury list and a congestion of fixtures that would have crippled, both mentally and physically, many a better team than Rangers.
Not only does this article stink of sour grapes, the author lacks the footballing knowledge you would expect from someone employed to comment about the game. “Watching Scotland play you’d never dream of such a negative tactic” Ahem, did you watch the Euro qualifiers? This is the exact same tactic used when Scotland beat France twice. OK it’s not pretty, and don’t think we’ve endeared ourselves to the Italian fans with this display but Fiorentina had 210 minutes of football to break us down and didn’t come close. Going into the first leg I was fully expecting Rangers to be comprehensively beaten as I had been told by Italian friends that Fiorentina were an excellent team. However an excellent team would have been able to carve out more opportunities over the two legs. I don't think Fiorentina were any better than Sporting Lisbon or Werder Bremen, both of whom we secured 2-0 victories over so to tag us "revolting Rangers" is hyperbolic to say the least.
Tim
I have to say I am pretty disgusted at the lack of footballing knowledge shown by Susy Campanale in her so called footballing blog. It is ridiculous to criticise the negative tactics of Walter Smith, when so-called superior Italian sides have been boring everyone in Europe for years with the same ethos. Call it what you will but it is effective, there is no doubt about that. Smith has returned to manage Rangers after rejuvenating a depressing national setup and installed a self-belief which is truly inspirational. Our first choice goalkeeper is out injured and the stand in does an admiral job and saves a penalty too. That tells me Walter is doing something right. You confuse negativity with heart and spirit. Smith has worked magic with a limited squad of players that know they are punching way above what is expected of them. Susy claims I should be embarrassed. I think the so-called technically superior Italians should be feeling the same way about the penalties.
Richard
That you find it absurd that such a display can be heralded as ‘heroic’ for such a technically deficient team as Rangers, whereas it would be dubbed a ‘typically negative’ performance for an Italian team fails to recognise that the reason Italian teams are demonised for playing such a style of football is that it belies their technical ability. The feeling is one of disappointment- that so many Italian teams, of past and present, have chosen to aim for or hold onto 1-0 leads despite the attacking ability at their disposal is the crime, not the defensive performance itself. The same cannot be said for Rangers. They played to the best of their (rather limited, as you correctly mention) abilities and this is why such a performance can be deemed ‘heroic'.
While I enjoy attacking football as much as anyone else, to deny the merits of such things as defensive organisation, teamwork and effort is to ignore aspects of the game as important as goals themselves. What would you have teams such as Rangers do when facing more technically gifted opponents? Allow them to walk the ball into the net? Professional football is a sport, and as such is by nature competitive- your aim is to win in accordance with the rules of the game. Rangers didn’t aim to cheat (unlike the many handball attempts of Adrian Mutu) but rather aimed to win by containing technically superior opponents. Is this illegitimate?
Ainslie Nimmo
The very fact that you can make an article on this is embarrassing. Rangers do not possess good, attacking, exciting players. So we play to our strengths, which lie in players such as Carlos Cuellar and David Weir. What do you expect Walter to tell them to do? 'Go out and play attractive football, and please all those neutrals. Oh and by the way, it doesn't matter if you get beaten 5-0, as long as the neutrals are pleased.' I think not. The embarrassing thing is not the defensive tactics of Rangers, but the fact that a supposedly 'superior' team could not score in 210 minutes of football. Whenever teams go to Ibrox or any of the top four in the EPL, they sit deep and defend, and hope to catch on the break. It just so happens that this time the underdogs won!
Andrew, Glasgow
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