Shed few tears for Rangers as season draws to hectic close

By Alex Martin

Published:

ASEASON of near ridiculous proportions is reaching its climax either side of the border with tears, tantrums and trophies at the ready.

Shed few tears for Rangers' plight. The best teams win the trophies because they have the squads and mental toughness to cope with a succession of pressure matches.

The Light Blues find themselves in an awkward position because they have reached three cup finals and are in with a better than even chance of winning the SPL.

This sort of competition is the reason the Premier League in England has become a three-horse race and is also why no one side has dominated the Champions League, it is simply too much to expect any club to dominate both at home and abroad.

Claims the SPL and SFA should move mountains to help them win are simply wrong but manager Walter Smith will use a perceived sense of injustice to motivate his team.

My instinct is Rangers will lose the Uefa Cup final but complete a domestic treble. Dons fans will be concerned the final match of the season at Pittodrie will be a championship party for Rangers.

However, such has been Aberdeen's roller-coaster of a season, don't bet against the Dons needing to defeat the Light Blues on the last day of the season to finish third.

Back to the English Premier League and Chelsea and Manchester United play tomorrow with Sir Alex Ferguson's team needing to win at Wigan to claim the title.

Chelsea host Bolton knowing victory may not be enough.

May 21 still looms large, with the rivals meeting in Moscow in the Champions League final.

Again, I suspect the prizes will be split with United for the Premier League and Chelsea lifting the European gong.

Will that be enough to keep manager Avram Grant in a job? Probably not. A director of football position awaits, with former Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard looking for a job.