The walls won’t fall in if we lose to Maribor, says pragmatic McCoist

That particular event occurred three years ago when they were sent spinning out of the Champions League at the first hurdle by Lithuanian makeweights Kaunas. As Walter Smith’s deputy on that occasion, McCoist was a first hand witness to the recriminations which followed.

It is why, as he seeks his first European victory as Rangers manager, he felt able to rationalise the consequences he and his players would face if they fail to overturn their 2-1 first leg deficit against Slovenian champions Maribor in the Europa League Play-Off round.

Not that McCoist is anything less than confident of securing a place in Friday’s group stage draw, anticipating as he does a buoyant and positive display from the SPL title holders. He was simply unwilling to subscribe to the view that elimination would be a calamity with wider repercussions.

“This team has been knocked out of Europe before and the walls didn’t fall in,” observed McCoist, doubtless reflecting on Rangers’ recovery from the Kaunas debacle which saw them win the first of their current run of three consecutive domestic championships.

“But I’m not thinking about not qualifying this time. I’m thinking about going through, then maybe the walls will remain intact again and we will all be happy. We’ve had tough time in Europe before and we’ve had great times in Europe. The one thing our fans will expect, and we expect too, is a performance which gives us an opportunity to qualify. We have to go out and do that on Thursday night.

“We can’t hide from the fact we all enjoy European football. It’s a pleasant break from domestic football and we also want to do our bit for Scottish football. We know we all have a responsibility on that front, and hopefully the national team can also win their next two games which are vitally important for the game in this country.

“I just hope I’m sitting here on Friday morning looking forward to a draw with Rangers in it. The players want to play in Europe, the fans want to come along and see their team in Europe.

“It was only three years ago we were in the final of this tournament and we know how much everyone enjoyed that. I’m not saying for one minute we can go to the final this time, but it just tells you how important European football is.

“If we can’t get to the top, which is obviously the Champions League, we need to do everything we can to get in the next competition. We want to play in the next best thing and that’s the Europa League.”

Both bemused and dismayed by his team’s second half collapse in Slovenia last week, when they saw a seemingly comfortable 1-0 lead evaporate with the concession of a stoppage time winner for Maribor, McCoist has taken considerable encouragement from Sunday’s 3-0 league win at Motherwell.

“Confidence will be a big thing for us and we have just come off a very good performance and result at Fir Park,” he added. “Hopefully we can step on from that and I don’t see any reason why we can’t do so.

“It’s going to be a tough game. We would be far happier sitting with a better result from the first leg which we probably could and should have had. But that’s gone now. We know where we stand and what we need to do.”

Striker Kyle Lafferty, whose return to the starting line-up on Sunday contributed significantly to Rangers’ improvement, revealed afterwards that McCoist had delivered a few well-chosen words at his squad in the wake of the Maribor defeat. The manager, however, insists it was not a case of blistering the paint on the dressing room walls.

“No, not at all,” said McCoist. “We just had a chat with the boys after the game and I think they probably agreed with the vast majority of what we said. The majority of the boys in the dressing know have known us for years and years.

“It’s like a family unit and sometimes you need to say things to members of your family which need saying. That doesn’t mean you don’t think the world of them or that you wouldn’t do anything for them.

“But sometimes you have to say one or two things. The most important thing is that the family remains a unit and then you get on with it again and we’ve got boys like that. It’s not a problem and there was no inquest.”

With Carlos Bocanegra’s eligibility rubber-stamped by Uefa, the American is likely to partner Dorin Goian in central defence at the expense of Scotland under-21 international Ross Perry, while Maurice Edu is the likeliest replacement for the suspended Steven Naismith. Lee McCulloch returned to training yesterday, but McCoist is still without a raft of players, including David Weir, Sasa Papac, Steven Whittaker, Kirk Broadfoot, Kyle Bartley and Jamie Ness.