IT IS SAID that heroes are not braver than ordinary men, they are simply braver longer. For braver, read dogged or replace it with patient and it would ably explain the hero status afforded some in the current Rangers set-up. For this is a squad peppered with unlikely paragons.
Players in the autumn of their career, team-mates sourced from unglamorous clubs, their own lack of pomp and flair apparently more in keeping with their previous employers. Others have simply spent their early years in the shadow of more exalted pee
rs. But they have defied the odds, the years and the critics. They may be unlikely heroes but, now destined for Manchester, they are Rangers heroes nonetheless.
One only has to wonder what Roy Carroll was thinking on Thursday night. He relinquished the role of understudy to Allan McGregor in January and as Rangers were fulfilling the dream of qualifying for the UEFA Cup final, he was dealing with his nightmare reality of 31 goals conceded in 12 games at relegation-doomed Derby. If only he had hung around half a season longer.
The man who took over from him as Rangers' goalkeeping No.2 was one of the stars of the European semi-final show. Serving his apprenticeship at Stenhousemuir, Livingston, Cardiff and then Ipswich, Neil Alexander bided his time before Rangers made him the offer he couldn't refuse in January. It was a step closer to his personal goal but the 30-year-old has had to show even more patience since his arrival.
Thursday night proved worth the wait, his penalty-shoot-out save from Fabio Liverani cancelling out captain Barry Ferguson's miss and paving the way for Nacho Novo's decisive penalty.
When he joined the Ibrox club at the start of the year, there was no suggestion he would be in a position to play such a pivotal part in the club's history. But he took the chance.
"I haven't been used to being second choice as I've been No.1 for eight years. So it's tough but being at Rangers is something I couldn't turn down. The chance to play for one of the biggest clubs in Europe might not have come up again," he said as he waited in the wings and McGregor won the plaudits and the No.1 jersey week after week.
Like others, Alexander put up with it and shrugged off the notion of being a squad player; he got his foot in the door and then waited for someone to swing it open. When McGregor was sent off against Hibs in the Scottish Cup quarter-final, he got his opportunity. With suspension and then injury affording him a longer run, he now has two Old Firm games, a Scottish Cup semi-final and a UEFA Cup semi-final on his CV.
Yet his arrival at Ibrox hardly created a ripple. It's not that punters were upset, they were just unenthused. To them he was simply there to fill a space on the bench. Smith knew better.
As with the likes of Kirk Broadfoot and Christian Dailly, he knew there was always the chance he would be called on. In the first half of the season, with Alan Hutton still performing at right-back and Sasa Papac on the other flank, Broadfoot had to bide his time. But he had the versatility which appeals to Walter Smith. The former St Mirren man can slot in across the defence and his patience was rewarded. Since Hutton's departure he has been a regular.
But even when on the sidelines there is something about the spirit in the Rangers camp which ensures no-one feels left out. "The manager knows I wont be banging on his door asking to play," said Dailly, who has deputised for Carlos Cuellar and David Weir in recent weeks and helped fill the central midfield void left by Barry Ferguson and Kevin Thomson in the first leg of the semi-final against Fiorentina. The fact the side again managed a 0-0 draw to take to Italy underlined his worth. "My philosophy has always been to dedicate myself to whatever club I'm at and accept the manager's decisions. If he wants to put me in, I'll be fit enough to play. Throughout my career, I have been used to filling in at various different positions. Now and again, being the jack-of-all-trades means you have to sit out, but I think, by and large, its worked in my favour."
This time last year, he was out of favour at West Ham, Broadfoot was with a side scuffling about at the other end of the league, and the idea of Alexander as Rangers No.1 had not been considered.
But, as this extraordinary season has unfolded, the unlikely lads have proved their worth.
