DOOM & BOOM

Everyone and their dog told us this was the tie we didn't want but Gers confronted challenge head on and guess what? Who's in the next round?

- BARRY FERGUSON

EVERYONE and their dog was saying the same thing when Panathinakos came out of the hat - it's the one tie Rangers didn't want.

Over the last few weeks, people were suggesting that Champions League qualifer was a nightmare for Russell Martin, the toughest possible start to his Rangers career.

What if they go out? Where's that going to leave him? The pressure will be piling on him and the players before the season's even started.

But, personally, I wasn't giving a second thought to the potential consequences or the possible downsides.

I'm sure the new manager would have felt the same way.

It's not about getting your knickers in a twist and worrying about what might go wrong.

It's about confronting the next challenge head on and getting the result required to move onto the next one.

It's about relishing the opportunity and concentrating on the positives.

I know that's not the way most minds work in this part of the world.

There's a tendency up here to search for the worst possible scenario at all times. We can be real doom and gloom merchants.

So, yes, it probably was the tie that no-one wanted.

But guess what? Who's in the next round?

And yet even though the job was completed successfully in Athens on Wednesday night there has still been quite a mixed reaction to the way Rangers went about getting it done.

All I'd say to those supporters who have expressed some early reservations is that, for now, let's just focus on the big picture.

Were the details perfect? Absolutely not.

But the good news is the manager and his players can look back on them now and work on improving them on the training ground.

The little details can be ironed out after the final whistle and that's what happens when you've got a work in progress. It's part of the deal.