DICK Advocaat doesn't look or sound like anyone's idea of an avenging angel, but the black wings that could cast a large shadow over Rangers' Uefa Cup aspirations tonight were probably folded away inside his tracksuit top.
The fact that the outer garment was a vivid royal blue as he addressed the media in Manchester yesterday should not be mistaken for a lingering sympathy for the club he managed with distinction for three-and-a-half years. The Zenit St Petersburg mana
ger burns with a desire to send his old team home potless.
The depth of the little Dutchman's ambition was underlined in a quiet moment after the official press conference, when old acquaintances were renewed with some of us who had always found him agreeable and often rewarding company during his time in Glasgow between 1998 and 2002.
It was when he was asked if, in the event of defeat for Zenit, he would take some comfort from the thought that the trophy would be in the possession of his former chairman, Sir David Murray, that Advocaat became serious enough almost to glower.
"David Murray is still my good friend," he said, "but understand this: I want to win that cup for myself and my team, nobody else. I know what this game means to the Rangers support and that it's said they'll have 100,000 or so in Manchester.
"But they won't be in the stadium, will they? We have 115million in Russia who are supporting Zenit. Big difference, eh? But Russia is much further away than Glasgow and it's only a three-hour drive for the Rangers supporters. Yes, we gave back 4,000 of our 13,000 allocation of tickets, but even to have 8,000 or 9,000 of our fans here from that distance is a small miracle. It means just as much to them, too."
Even at 60, Advocaat clearly retains the ambition of a rookie, aching to put another notch on his gunbelt that will impress potential suitors. As revealed in The Scotsman yesterday, he remains convinced that he will yet go to work in the Premier League in England, his only surprise the fact he is not already there.
Advocaat will be aware that victory at the City of Manchester Stadium tonight will matter more to prospective employers than the Russian league championship he won last autumn.
Perhaps significantly, Advocaat sees no need to tinker with the formula that has brought Zenit the most productive period in the club's history. All questions about Rangers' defensive emphasis seemed to be regarded as an irrelevance.
"We won't alter our playing style," said Advocaat. "Why would we change something that works? If I were the Rangers coach, I would realise I was playing against a good side who are well organised. Walter (Smith] will know that and he will also know that I realise Zenit will be playing against a good team, with their own strengths.
"I know there has been a lot written about Rangers and how defensive they are, but they wouldn't be in the Uefa Cup final, challenging for the league championship and in the Scottish Cup final without being a good, balanced team. I think they deserve more respect, as we do.
"That's the important thing in building a team, the balance. Walter has achieved that with Rangers. They defend well, yes, but when they go forward, you'll see three players up there. To be honest, we have had to do that ourselves at times when it was necessary. We have to be careful of Rangers as a team, not concentrate on taking care of any individual players, because they are a team. That is their strength."
Thanks to the patronage of Zenit's owners, Gazprom – Russia's biggest company – Advocaat himself has been able to lay out in excess of £30million in pursuit of his goals, the side that start against Rangers tonight likely to contain a cosmopolitan mix from Russia, Croatia, Argentina, Ukraine, Turkey and the Czech Republic.
There could also be a fellow Dutchman, although the participation of Fernando Ricksen at right-back is considered unlikely. Advocaat remains as coy as he ever was about releasing details of his personnel.
"The players don't know the team yet," he said. "But, whoever is picked, I feel very good, I feel very positive about the match. It is a game of football and I am always positive about football".
To those of us familiar with his tendency towards bullishness, it was as if he had never been away.
The full article contains 771 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
