RANGERS fans were left heartbroken as their European dream lay in tatters last night, further marred by angry clashes with police.
The team were beaten 2-0 in the Uefa Cup final against Zenit St Petersburg.
The unpleasant scenes came as the game got under way and thousands of fans were left outraged when a screen meant to be showing the game in Manchester city centre failed
to work. Several spectators were injured as bottles were thrown, and the police attempted to restore order by baton-charging the crowd.
Shortly after kick-off, in a separate incident, a Russian fan was taken to hospital after being stabbed in the back outside the City of Manchester Stadium. His injuries were reported as non-life threatening. Six men, believed to be Rangers fans, were arrested for serious assault.
A further 30 arrests were made after trouble in the city centre 'fan zones'.
The trouble was concentrated on the Piccadilly Gardens area of the city. The screen, which had been showing highlights of previous games from around 6pm, failed to switch to the promised broadcast of the match, which kicked off at 7.45pm. The mood became tense when an engineer struggle to fix the technical fault. He reportedly refused to carry on when missiles were thrown from the crowd.
Riot police deployed around the area then faced down hostile Rangers fans lobbing bottles and cans. Officers charged the fans, pushing them back. After one clash, a fan lay on the floor and appeared to be injured.
At full-time, the vast majority of supporters began to disperse. A small number, however, remained, some taunting the police and filming them on mobile phones.
Rob and Adam Walker, a father and son who had travelled without tickets from Stoke, said the atmosphere had been excellent before the trouble.
"We've come up from Stoke and had an ace time," Rob Walker said. "The Scottish fans were spot-on, and the atmosphere was buzzing. We got there about 6pm and were there for about two hours. Then the screen didn't work."
Adam Walker, his son, added. "It's the best crowd I've ever been in without a doubt. Then about half-seven a message came up on the screen saying we should go to the Velodrome (near the football stadium]. There was meant to be another screen there, and the message said Velodrome Five Minutes. It took us more than half an hour from the time we set off and we missed the first half."
Earlier in the day, the mood at the street party was boisterous and good natured as up to 100,000 fans waited for kick-off. There were few reports of trouble and just eight arrests pre-match for minor offences.
If Rangers had won the match, they would have been the first Scottish team to land a European trophy for 25 years. Supporters said they were "devastated" and seemed disappointed with their team's performance.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said"A number of people were arrested during the disorder at Piccadilly. A number of people, including police officers, were injured as officers brought the disorder under control.
"GMP would like to stress that the vast majority of supporters have behaved impeccably and came to Manchester clearly intent on enjoying the carnival atmosphere."
A spokesman for Manchester City Council said of the technical problems: "We will be holding a full inquiry."
Big screen - and bigger disappointmentFANS remaining in Glasgow gathered to watch the match on the world's largest mobile screen.
The stadium was filled to capacity two hours before kick-off, with about 32,000 clamouring to see the broadcast on three screens.
A huge roar went up from the crowd as messages from some of the Rangers players appeared on the screens.
Footage of Rangers' road to the Uefa Cup Final was also shown as supporters waved flags, clapping and dancing.
But the party atmosphere died when Zenit took the lead.
A hush fell round Ibrox stadium when the Russian team scored in the 73rd minute, apart from some fans who shouted out "No".
Many sat with their head in their hands, visibly emotional.
When Zenit scored a second goal, in the third minute of stoppage time, a third of the fans had already left the stadium.
"I am absolutely gutted," said Martine Wilkie, a schoolgirl from Eastwood, Glasgow, as she left the stadium. The 15-year-old added: "We have waited 36 years for as European victory. We should have won."
"We'll be back," vowed fan Jonathan Conway, 18, from Kilwinning in Ayrshire.
"But we just didn't play well enough."
Rangers had originally intended for only 25,000 fans to get into the ground. But rather than have them wandering the streets outside Ibrox, the club let 7,000 more into several corners of the stadium.
Before kick-off Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, was booed when he appeared on screen to wish the team good luck. In contrast, Alex Salmond, the First Minister, received loud cheers when his message was broadcast.
Four fans were treated for sunburn by medical staff at the stadium and police said there were no reports of any trouble.
Fans were asked not to travel to Glasgow airport for Rangers' return today as they would not be able to see the team.
A parade to the stadium will begin in Paisley Road West at about 1:15pm today to mark their return to Ibrox.
Emily Pykett The full article contains 927 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
