Ferguson: final would eclipse everything

BARRY FERGUSON has won every domestic honour possible with Rangers and has even had a crack at the Premier League with Blackburn.

But the Ibrox skipper admits that securing a place in the UEFA Cup final would eclipse everything else he has achieved in what has been a successful career so far.

Ninety minutes of football against Fiorentina are all that stands between Ferguson and his dream of facing either Bayern Munich or Zenit St Petersburg in next month’s climax in Manchester.

After a goalless first leg at Ibrox last week, it is now winner takes all in the return match in Florence.

“If we win tomorrow night, it will probably be my best achievement in football,” said Ferguson, who was suspended for the stalemate in Glasgow.

“I’ve won a lot of things, I’ve played against some great teams and some great players. But that would be my greatest achievement. The last time Rangers played in a European final was more than 30 years ago.

“The guys in the dressing room are not daft, they know how big a game it is and everybody is ready for it.”

Bitter rivals Celtic reached the UEFA Cup final back in 2003, losing to Jose Mourinho’s Porto, and Ferguson has called for the whole country to support Walter Smith’s men in their quest to go all the way.

It has been a remarkable run for a Rangers team who parachuted into the UEFA Cup after crashing out of the Champions League despite some decent results against Barcelona, Lyon and Stuttgart.

But not everyone appreciates Smith’s particular brand of European football.

Lionel Messi accused Rangers of playing “anti-football”, while Adrian Mutu was unimpressed by the defensive tactics employed by the home team at Ibrox last week, claiming afterwards “That was one ugly game of football.”

Mutu sat through a Champions League semi-final in his Chelsea days and insists the Rangers game means far more to him.

Mutu, who left Stamford Bridge under a cloud after a failed drugs test, has been a vital cog in Fiorentina’s success, while at Chelsea he was less influential.

He was on the bench for Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Monaco in 2004, and was not called on by manager Claudio Ranieri. He then was left out for the second leg, a huge game for Chelsea after their 3-1 away defeat, and Ranieri’s side managed only a 2-2 draw.

The Romanian, now 29, did not produce his best form for the Stamford Bridge side.

“With Fiorentina I feel different,” said Mutu, “because I have played so many minutes for this team, given my contribution, scored goals.

“I feel as though I have had a starring role.”

Mutu has scored six goals in the UEFA Cup this season and will be the focal point of the Viola attack against Rangers in Florence.

The Romanian international will hold nothing back, despite being one booking away from missing the final in Manchester on May 14 should his team progress.

Mutu did not make a great impact in the goalless draw at Ibrox last week but was not too concerned with his individual performance.

“I can’t think of myself but of the team,” he said.

“If destiny wishes to play a trick on me, then there’s little I can do.

“I will not shy away. It’s not a problem. We will just all have to pray that this doesn’t happen.”