You often hear teams talk about their fans being the 12th man. You don’t often hear opposition captains saying it.
But this is Ibrox we’re on about – and it’s Europe. It happened a few years ago when I was at Rangers and we’d beaten Rapid Vienna in the Europa League group stages.
Their skipper – Stefan Schwab – came in afterwards and said Rangers didn’t just have 11 players on the pitch. He admitted the crowd were like a 12th man.
He also said he wasn’t that impressed with the team but we can gloss over that part as it might have been sour grapes!
Point is, the Ibrox factor cannot be underestimated. It can inspire the home crowd while intimidating the opposition.
It doesn’t matter who you are. Athletic Bilbao will be used to playing in front of big crowds and huge atmospheres.
But it’s not something that happens every week and Thursday night will be something different. It will be something different from the domestic league as well, that’s for sure.
I wouldn’t say there’s a bad feeling around Ibrox right now but it’s a bit of a struggle. There’s a lot of talk about the home record and losing five games in a row.
But you also have to take into consideration the loss to Fenerbahce was in there as well – and that was a result that helped get the club to the last eight.
It’s been happening for a while now but there is a switch that gets flicked when it comes to Europe. There are probably dozens of reasons why the league form doesn’t match up to European performances.
But that’s also why Rangers fans can be optimistic this week. It almost doesn’t matter what went on against Hibs on Saturday. It can be forgotten.
Everything about Europe feels different. Even the stadium looks different with UEFA slapping their logos and sponsorship over everything. There’s also the underdog factor. There’s no doubt Rangers perform better when they are up against it.
They revel in the underdog tag and going back to the team I was involved in, it’s a club that regularly punches above its weight in this environment.
We’ve seen it in Europe and against Celtic. When they’re facing top sides they’re more able to adapt their game and cause these teams problems.
I’ve no doubt they can do it again with Bilbao. I’ve got a feeling this could be another special night.
Don’t get me wrong. This is a top team. They’re in the hunt for the Champions League places in Spain and this is arguably Rangers’ toughest test yet.
The club has done it before though at home and on the road. Go back to Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Galatasaray, even this year the win in Nice, pushing Manchester United and Tottenham all the way. Rangers can raise their game for these occasions and I expect them to do so again.
Barry Ferguson has some big decisions to make of course. There are people suggesting he has to drop Jack Butland and I get that.
But this is not the time for me. It’s too big a call for a match like this and it could cause more harm than good to all concerned.
There is an argument for Butland to come out of the team. He’s a quality keeper but he’s going through a tough spell. But I just feel his experience will be necessary for Bilbao and it’s a tough game to throw Liam Kelly into.
I could perhaps see the thinking if Butland played tomorrow and then Kelly comes in for Pittodrie on Sunday. It’s just too big a risk for the first leg.
This might be a game that suits Butland. He’s produced some top performances in Europe and sometimes keepers prefer it when they’re busier.
It could definitely be a busy night for him at Ibrox but, who knows, that might be the kind of game he needs right now to give him a bit of confidence back.
There are other big calls. John Souttar will be a huge miss. It’s a big blow but others are going to have to step up.
You suspect Barry will go to a three at the back again, perhaps with James Tavernier inside and Dujon Sterling as a wing-back, or vice versa.
It’s a formation that worked for him in Europe and against Celtic and it has to be the way to go against a Bilbao side that has a lot of threat down the flanks.
Rangers can’t defend like they have done at times in Scotland, like against Hibs and Dundee in recent weeks. They certainly can’t continue this habit of giving teams two goals of a start. Bilbao are too strong to give them any encouragement.
The good thing for Rangers is this will be a completely different type of game to the domestic level. We’ve seen them find it difficult to break teams down at home and then get caught on the counter.
But Rangers can play a compact style that suits them – and they can be the ones who can hit on the break. It’s a plan that’s worked a treat and while the 12th man will play their part, it’s up to the 11 on the pitch to deliver.
