UEFA would need to fashion 2 more tourneys for this Gers side to get by

Brugge could never have dreamt how easy they'd get it

- BY FRASER MACKIE

WHERE Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen bafflingly failed, Club Brugge punished the glaring flaws in this pitiful Rangers project.

If there is one tiny mercy, Russell Martin and his ragged lot have been spared far worse humiliation.

The last time Rangers were in the Champions League, a team with a backbone from a Europa League Final run was eaten alive by Liverpool, Ajax and Napoli.

So, what on earth would an unforgiving slab of eight games have served up for Martin's wide-eyed prospects and the manager's own questionable tactics?

Rangers were in no state to sneak their way into the main event, which they were threatening to do after the first two rounds.

And on the evidence at hand, UEFA would need to create a fourth or fifth-tier tournament in their bloated club competition scene for Rangers to stand a chance of looking comfortable.

While the entire Brugge back four came through the club's youth system, the Rangers backline looked as if they had not once trained together or defended a cross ball as a group.

Oh how that was brutally showcased three times in the opening eight minutes.