In 1972, and again in 1983, SPL sides raised the old Cup Winners’ Cup. I know I’ve said this before, and maybe I should just let it go and move on, but I really miss this competition. I’d trade the Intertoto Cup to have it back in a second, but it looks like only half of that wish is coming true. And of course, in 1967, Celtic made what still remains one of the great runs in European football, beating Inter Milan to become the first British team to lift the European Cup, as well as the only side (still true today) to do it with a team made up completely of domestic players.

But a Scottish side has never lifted the UEFA Cup, the second greatest club prize in Europe. Celtic got close, so close, in 2003, as they took Jose Mourinho’s Porto to extra time in the final. Now, bitter rivals Rangers have a chance to go one better, and complete the European Cup - Cup Winners Cup - UEFA Cup trifecta that only Italy, Spain, England, Holland, Germany and Portugal have managed before.

Good luck to Rangers. You’re out there representing Scotland tomorrow, so try to show a little more attacking spirit than in recent European matches. And just as importantly, bring home that cup. Scotland deserves to be on that list.

Just as Rangers held firm in defense and offered little in attack in Thursday’s penalty UEFA Cup semifinal win over Fiorentina, they were similarly held scoreless by Hibernian today. A fantastic defensive effort from Hibs kept all but two of Rangers’ eleven shots from even approaching Andrew McNeil’s goal, and while Hibs had some great possession, they were fairly toothless themselves in attack, only managing three shots on goal. These were handled well by backup Rangers keeper Neil Alexander. Say what you will about Rangers’ strategy, but Allan McGregor’s shoes were very large ones to fill, and Alexander has done a great job.

We’re getting into what Sir Alex would refer to as squeeky bum time. Celtic now have a 7-point lead over Rangers, still with three games in hand. With their victory over Motherwell on Saturday, thanks to a late Samaras goal, they made up two points this weekend, and widened their goal difference lead. The title is still in Rangers’ hands to lose, as they can clinch it by winning all their remaining matches, or with a mistake from Celtic. Still, things looked so much better three weeks ago for the Blue end of Glasgow. A European final is a great achievement for them, but a third straight Celtic championship would take a lot of the polish off of it, and the room for error is now incredibly small.

Celtic have just two matches left: a home match with the obviously troublesome Hibees, and a trip to Dundee to face United. Both Hibs and United need any points they can get, locked in a battle for UEFA Cup qualification with Motherwell. ‘Well, on the other hand, is the team most likely to give the Hoops the help they need to win the title. They play Rangers twice in eleven days, with the UEFA Cup final and another league match for Rangers sandwiched between. No matter which side of the Old Firm fence you’re on (or if you have no preference), it continues to be a hell of a run in.

I stand in complete awe both of Rangers’ ability to keep clean sheets this season, and of their incredible inability to put the biscuit in the basket themselves. 0-0 after TWO HUNDRED AND TEN MINUTES. That’s two matches, plus extra time. Yikes. Still, the table never lies, as they say, and with a lot of great teams done in Europe, Rangers and Walter Smith have made it work. It might be ugly, but the trophy looks the same no matter how you win it.

That being said, as a fan of football in general and the UEFA Cup specifically, I’m making this plea. Zenit strikers (sans Pavel Pogrebnyak, who will miss the final) - SCORE EARLY in the final. I want Rangers to win it, make no mistake, but I also want an attractive game, and that’s the way to get one.

(Note to Old Firm conspiracy buffs - I am in no way suggesting the attack has anything to do with Rangers. If it came out that way, that would be a hell of a story, but all indications are it was some random drunk, pissed and swinging.)

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Rangers still have a chance at the quad, an achievement that would more than erase the memories of two trophyless seasons at Ibrox, but there are two very good clubs between them and the occasionally coveted UEFA Cup. The first, Fiorentina, is just the sort of team that Rangers don’t want to be facing right now. With injuries throughout their usually fantastic defense, they face an offense from the Viola that’s really hitting its stride. Back from injury himself, Adrian Mutu is on fire. It is really doubtful that they’ll be able to get by on the defensive 4-5-1 counterattacking style that’s gotten them this far.

It’s going to be a very tough month for Rangers, and by Walter Smith’s own account perhaps the greatest test of his career. There are as many as 11 games in the next 31 days for his side, and with injuries, fatigue and suspensions piling up, I’d have to say I agree with Smith. It’s going to be a long stretch, and aside from their league cup, and probably the Scottish Cup, the other two quarters of the quad are not going to be easy.

On to the title of this blog. 47 years ago, Fiorentina and Rangers faced off in the first-ever UEFA Cup Winners Cup. For you youngsters and football newcomers out there, there used to be three UEFA tournaments, the European Cup (now Champions League), the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (now the UEFA Cup), and the Cup Winners Cup, which I have to say was some of the best football in Europe. Instead of cup winners going into the UEFA Cup to face second-tier league finishers, they had their own tournament. Personally, I think the old EC - ICFC - CWC system is much better than the Champions League - UEFA Cup - Intertoto system we have now. But I digress.

Anyway, in 1961, Fiorentina came calling for the first leg of a two-legged final … an idea, by the way, that was wisely scrapped the next year. Finals should be one-offs, without exception. The Italians dominated, and two goals from Aurelio Milani were enough to put the tie away early. They took the Ibrox leg 2-0, and won the Italian return leg 2-1. It was one of the uglier scenes in Ibrox history, with a near riot at the end of the match, fans knowing that it was all but over already.

We won’t see that sort of display at Ibrox today … say what you will about Rangers fans, but they’re calmer than they were in ‘61. The question is, will the result on the pitch be any different, and can Rangers get revenge for a defeat that took away what would have been their first European trophy, 47 years ago? Not long to wait to find out. Good luck, boys.

Hamilton secures promotion
Hamilton Academical will take over the SPL hot seat from Gretna next season, after securing their First Division crown and the single promotion spot. It will be Hamilton’s first time in the top flight since 1999, the year after their last second-tier title, and they’ll be looking to stay up for the first time. Both of their previous two promotions have led to immediate relegation the next season. The promotion will not only allow them the chance at top flight football, but also rekindle their Lanarkshire derby, a local rivalry that might not be globally well known, but is certainly important to both of these clubs.

Celtic staying alive
Celtic were literally seconds away from the end of their SPL title defense, drawn 1-1 at home to Rangers in the 94th minute, when big Jan Vennegor of Hesselink did what he tends to do at the end of matches … he headed one in. I’d love to know someday what percentage of his goals have come in injury time. It’s a significant chunk of them. Anyway, with that win, and their subsequent win over Aberdeen on Saturday, Celtic jumps above Rangers in the league standings. There’s the small matter of 3 games in hand for Rangers, but there’s still hope, which there was precious little of a few weeks ago.

McGeady wins triple
In addition to his Clydesdale Bank SPL Award for Best Young Player, Celtic’s Aiden McGeady took home a double in the PFA Awards, winning both Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year. All this attention will certainly be a mixed bag for Celtic, who may struggle in the summer to hold onto “Aideninho”, but he certainly has deserved it.

Rangers’ Cup double gets closer
Rangers took it to penalties, but did in the end manage their way past St. Johnstone and into the final of the Scottish Cup. This has two consequences - first, as much as I hate this policy, Queen of the South is going to the UEFA Cup as at least the runner up in the Scottish Cup, ensuring that Scotland once again sends a second-tier team to Europe. The Doonhamers have done fantastically to get here, but they can’t realistically pose the sort of challenge in Europe that the fourth-place team in the SPL could, and so this is really a loss for the league. Second, Rangers are now 90 minutes away from a Cup double, and you can believe there’s a spot being dusted off at Ibrox right next to the already-won League Cup.

Aiden McGeady did take a consolation prize, though, winning the Young Player of the Year award, and deservedly so. Steven Fletcher has had a great season, but McGeady has been a really bright point for Celtic, even when the rest of the midfield have been at their poorest. He has won games all on his own, and considering his age, his talent is truly scary.

Congratulations also to Dundee United’s Willo Flood for winning both the Goal of the Year award (officially) and taking at least top-five in my list of favorite SPL player names. Nacho Novo, Willo Flood … it’s a draw, I guess.

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In other news, the finalists have been announced for the major annual awards, and there are no real surprises. For Player of the Year, the nominees are: Carlos Cuellar (Rangers), Scott McDonald (Celtic), Aiden McGeady (Celtic), Barry Robson (Celtic, but really earned it at Dundee United). To me, with the recent fall off of form for Celtic, McDonald and McGeady have fallen a bit off of the pace for the award. If the award was Most Purely Talented Footballer of the Year, McGeady would be a shoe-in, but in terms of actual performance, I have to tip Cuellar. The back line of Rangers has been incredible this season, even when the front has been dreadful. Frankly, I think that if Walter Smith would start Kris Boyd, he might be on this list, with the scoring rate he has maintained this season, but the lead he has built in the league suggests that he might just know … well … a lot more than I do. Anyway, if Rangers win the league, and Celtic continue to look vulnerable, Cuellar looks good to win this one.

In the Young Player of the Year award, there is (thankfully) a bit more team diversity on display. Otherwise known as the “Next Player to be Bought by the Old Firm” award, this one is between: Scott Arfield (Falkirk), Steven Fletcher (Hibernian), Ross McCormack (Motherwell), Kevin McDonald (Dundee), and double nominee Aiden McGeady of Celtic. To me, this award should go to Fletcher, who has performed not only as a top-tier striker in the SPL, but also did his national duties, with an assist in his first Scotland start against Croatia. My gut says, though, that McGeady is not going home without some award, and if Cuellar gets the big one, this might be his consolation. Not that it isn’t deserved - frankly, it’s a toss-up between Fletcher and McGeady in a lot of ways.

We’ll see how the players have voted after the season is over. As Matt said over at the Celtic Offside, there is little for the bottom teams to play for, but we should still see some excitement in the top six, before another SPL season winds down.

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