Smith not about to call time on his Ibrox career after finest hour

And no apologies for lack of flair in performances

HE MAY have had just two hours sleep yesterday morning, but Walter Smith was determined to make it clear he is far from tired of leading Rangers.

As the realisation of his finest achievement as their manager began to sink in, with Murray Park decorated by home made congratulatory banners pinned up by jubilant club workers to celebrate reaching the Uefa Cup final, Smith found himself confronted by the notion that it may never get better than this for him.

The suggestion has been growing in recent weeks that, should this astonishing season end in Rangers winning a quadruple of trophies, he would be best advised to quit while he is ahead. It was a perception the 60-year-old was quick to squash yesterday, along with the notion that his assistant Ally McCoist has been lined up to automatically replace him when he does step down.

"Forget that," said Smith. "I didn't come to Rangers to sit for 18 months and then pack it in. I signed a contract for three and a half years and like every other football manager, if the results are good enough then I'll be here for that period of time. The only time I will look at my situation is towards the end of that period, it might be something that finishes. If the results are not good enough, I won't get that time anyway.

"It is an obvious thing for people to look at my age and say I'm going to leave, but I'm not going to do that. That's never really been in the equation.

"Despite the general consensus, there is no set move for Ally to become Rangers manager. He took the job knowing that if it didn't go well it could be his last one. He is new to it on a full-time basis and gave up a lot to take the chance.

"If it happens that he takes over from me one day, I would be really pleased but there is no intention on my own part to step down, regardless of what happens this season.

"It's always going to be difficult to follow a successful season, but you should never let that burden you in any way. The margin of error for our club is small and it depends on what happens over the next few weeks.

"We could find ourselves winning the Uefa Cup, but if you finish second in the SPL then you would find yourself in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League at the start of next season and could be knocked out early. I'm not being pessimistic, that's just realistic, because the margin of error in the qualification games is next to nothing."

Any weariness among the Rangers party who did not touch down at Glasgow Airport until 5am yesterday would have been compensated for by the adrenaline buzz of their dramatic Uefa Cup semi-final triumph over Fiorentina.

The nature of their success, 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out against the Serie A club, has hardened the conviction in Smith's mind that his team may be able to complete the unlikely grand slam of all three domestic trophies and the Uefa Cup.

"I've said a number of times this season that I'm surprised we have managed to get ourselves into this kind of position," he said, "but sometimes you get a season in football where a lot of things go for you, you get a wee bit of luck that is required at times.

"Even when it went to penalties in Florence, I felt that it is a season where we could maybe win that. That's just the type of season we are having. Hopefully that can continue.

"We have ridden our luck at times, but I don't think anyone who has watched us over the 18 games we have played in Europe so far could say we lack a commitment and winning attitude.

"You always have a chance in cup finals, so there is clearly an opportunity for us in the Uefa Cup and Scottish Cup. The championship will be determined by how we handle the situation of the number of games we have to play, so it's difficult to assess.

"There's no doubt that the number of games we have in a short space of time will cause us a bit of a problem. But the attitude we have shown throughout the season to get to this stage has been fairly steady, we have only maybe let ourselves down in that aspect in a couple of games.

"In general, the attitude and approach to the games has been terrific and if that continues, who knows what we could do this season?"

The kudos of adding his name to the list of Scottish managers such as Jock Stein, Scot Symon, Bill Shankly, Willie Waddell, Jim McLean and Sir Alex Ferguson in taking a club to a European final was shrugged aside by Smith yesterday and he remained unapologetic for the defensive strategy he has employed with Rangers to achieve it.

"The personal aspect never really bothers me that much, I'm always a wee bit uncomfortable with that," he said. "I did think about that this morning, that not many Scottish managers get to European finals, but I don't think I need to prove to anyone that I can manage or coach a team. The only thing I ever bother about is winning. I like to win and we have surpassed my expectations on that front this season.

"We don't have a lot of flair in our squad and can't afford to bring it in, so we have to try and enhance other aspects of football. We have done that successfully this season.

"We have had a bit of criticism for being defensive, so it was interesting to read Frank Rijkaard's assessment of the English teams the other day, when he said they are far too defensive in the way they play. He felt they should play more attractive and skilful football.

"If clubs are spending 100s of millions of pounds and still being accused of being defensive, then I think that says a lot about modern football. It's the pressure that is on you to win.

"That criticism didn't really affect us, I just felt it was the way Rangers had to go this season. When we can't afford a high level of flair player, then if you take lesser ones you will end up with a very weak team.

"We could be doing with more flair in the wider areas of the pitch. There is only one legitimate winger in Scottish football at the moment, Aiden McGeady, and we could be doing with someone like that but unfortunately it costs a lot of money.

"So experience tells you to look in another direction."

No Rangers supporter can now credibly question the direction in which Smith is taking Rangers and can only be comforted by his determination to remain in the driving seat for some time yet.

Windfall of up to £25 million awaits finalists

RANGERS stand to earn in the region of between £20million and £25million for reaching the Uefa Cup final against Zenit St Petersburg on 14 May.

The Ibrox club claimed a penalty shoot-out victory against Fiorentina on Thursday night which will see Walter Smith's team earn a substantial windfall.

Rangers already had up to £11million in the bank this term for their participation in the lucrative Champions League phase. Ultimately, the team did not progress, but gate receipts for home games against Barcelona, Stuttgart and Olympique Lyonnais generated further income for the club.

The average crowd for the three group matches averaged at around 50,000 and that figure was further enhanced by the Uefa Cup run, which has gained momentum up until Thursday's semi-final victory. Home legs against Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, Sporting Lisbon and Fiorentina would have also brought in around £2million each to the club.

Television income will also be added to the final calculation by the Ibrox board. With Rangers the only British club progressing beyond the quarter-final stage of the Uefa Cup this season, their exploits have been the subject of interest for ITV4 along with the regular coverage of BBC Scotland throughout the campaign. Add in around £1million from European television to the domestic figure of around £2.5million.

If Rangers defeat Zenit St Petersburg and former manager, Dick Advocaat, in Manchester a week on Wednesday, they will rake in a further £2million, while even defeat will see the Ibrox coffers boosted to the tune of £1.2million.

The subject of merchandise will also raise the financial stakes for Rangers in the build-up to the final at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Brand awareness will raise finance from team sponsors, especially shirt manufacturers, Umbro.

Sales of Celtic replica shirts rocketed for the Uefa Cup final in 2003, garnering £1.8million for the kit manufacturers.

As a result of Celtic's run to the final defeat by FC Porto five years ago, Umbro looked to re-negotiate an extension to their sponsorship, which could be the case with Rangers also.