Arthur's Column // 31st August 2023

We all knew it was going to be tough to beat PSV at their own stadium last night. I felt it would take a performance close to perfection from Rangers to win the tie. Unfortunately, we were not able to produce a top performance and we are out. I did not expect the scoreline to be a 5-1 defeat. That really hurts.

But credit to Peter Bosz and the PSV players. They played very well and deserved the victory over the two legs. I was at the game and it was nice to cath up with the Rangers supporters and some of my former team-mates such as Barry Ferguson, Stevie Thompson, Ronald Waterreus and my old boss, Alex McLeish.

It was a pity they didn't see a posiive result. That's not football. It can't always be smiles.

Of course, I wish PSV well in the Champions League. They are one of my former cubs and I retain a genuine fondness for them.

For Rangers, it is all about moving on as quickly as possible. Michael Beale and his squad cannot dwell on this defeat and feel sorry for themselves.

If they go into Sunday's Old Firm game with that kind of attitude then they will not win the game. I'm not trying to dismiss the defeat in Holland. I'd much rather be in the Champions League for the prestige and the financial benefit.

I do not agree with people who say it is more beneficial to be in the Europa League. That kind of talk is defeatist and not up to the standards of Rangers.

Michael and the players should want to play against the very best they can in Europe.

It also costs millions and millions of pounds on lost revenue by not making it.

However, the main aim every year is to win the SPFL Premiership. We will leapfrog Celtic if we win on Sunday.

Victory will also send out a real message that the current Rangers team have what it takes to win this title. We have to be positive and go for the win.

Brendan Rodgers and his players have been struggling to score goals and do not have a proper rhythm yet. That's good for us.

We also have 50,000 Rangers supporters inside the stadium and they need to make it as intimidating as possible for the opposition players. So, there is pressure but everyone at Rangers needs to embrace the pressure and show they can handle it.

If we want to be the Champions in May then this is the kind of game we need to win.

It's over to Michael and the players to show that they are capable of taking on this challenge and emerging from it successfully.

As captain, James Tavernier needs to make sure every player fully understands what is required from them on Sunday. Second best is not good enough in this fixture.

I wish everyone the best of luck on Sunday. Let's go and get the three points.