Rapid Vienna captain Stefan Schwab has claimed that Rangers didn’t impress him, but their supporters did.
Rapid Vienna are gearing up to welcome Rangers to Austria in a crunch meeting on Thursday night. Both sides know a win will put them into the last-32 of the Europa League, so the incentive is there for both sides.
The last meeting between the pair came at Ibrox on match-day two of the campaign. Despite taking the lead at Ibrox, Vienna caved in immediately as an Alfredo Morelos double sandwiched James Tavernier’s penalty.
Schwab played in that game, and said that he wasn’t overly enthused about what he saw from Rangers that night. Instead, speaking to the Scottish Sun, he said it was the fans that done the job that night.
“To be honest, it wasn’t the Rangers players who impressed me over in Glasgow, it was their supporters.
“They didn’t have 11 players on the pitch with that crowd . . . it was like they had 12 men.
“But it’s our turn now on Thursday. Rangers will see what our fans can be like now.”
Team-talk written whilst fans get more praise
It’s a bit of a double-boost for Rangers supporters. Whilst Schwab no doubt had good intentions when praising the Gers support, it was also bit of a dig at the Rangers players.
It reads as though Vienna feel Rangers aren’t a great side, and that the Gers perhaps got lucky at Ibrox. In a sense, it’s writing Steven Gerrard’s team-talk for him on Thursday night in Austria.
This is why exposure to European football is so crucial, however. It gets the word out about how great a venue Ibrox is, and helps to increase exposure of the club to countries who haven’t heard much about Rangers in recent years.
Rangers are very much capable of winning in Austria. They showed in Russia against Spartak Moscow just how much of a goal threat they are away from home. They’ve already netted five times away from Ibrox in Europe this season, and the game in Austria would provide the perfect tonic for dropping points in the last two domestic matches.
It’s sure to be an intriguing affair. Schwab will no doubt be looking forward to seeing how his own supporters react on Thursday night with their own vocal support. Meanwhile, he may just have inadvertently lit a fire under the Rangers players.
