THE countdown to Rangers' momentous UEFA Cup final in Manchester on Wednesday evening has begun.
Walter Smith's men take on Zenit St Petersburg in search of their first European silverware since 1972. Thousands of their fans will be with them every step of the way.
RUSSELL LEADBETTER gives you the A-Z lowdown on Rangers' heroics.
A is for Advocaat, Dick
How many Rangers fans would have thought that the first time they encountered a team coached by the Little General after he left Ibrox as boss, it would be the showpiece final of the UEFA Cup? Dick and FC Zenit St Petersburg are all that stand between the men in blue and their first European silverware since 1972. Funny old game, football.
"I certainly hope Rangers make it because I'm a Rangers fan," Dick said last month. "You know what they say - once a Ranger, always a Ranger."
B is for Bayern
The European giants (winners of the Champions League in 2001) were felled by an aggregate score of 5-1 by Zenit in the semis. Had Bayern won, the final would have been a re-run of the epic European Cup Winners Cup semi-final in 1972, which Rangers won 3-1 over two games. Derek Parlane, who scored one of Rangers' goals in the second leg at Ibrox, recalled recently: "It was one of the best atmospheres I have ever played in. There were more than 80,000 packed into Ibrox - it was electric."
C is for congested fixture list
Sir David Murray is furious that the SPL would not further extend the domestic season to accommodate his team's frantic trophy-chasing. Even
Advocaat sympathises. Zenit have had more luck, with three of their own league games being postponed. Will this leave them short of match practice, though?
C is also for Carlos Cuellar, excellent in the heart of Rangers' defence in the second leg at Fiorentina, and winner of two player of the year awards.
D is for determination
Rangers may be weary in body after a long and arduous season, but they are unquenchable in spirit as they seek glory at home and abroad.
E is for Edmiston Drive
One way or another, it'll be the centre of Glasgow on Wednesday night.
F is for Fiorentina
The Italians thought they were onto a sure thing when they kicked off against Rangers at home in the second leg of the semis. Two hours and two fluffed penalty-kicks later, it was a different story. F is also for Barry Ferguson, Rangers' inspirational skipper.
G is for glory
The heady prospect that awaits Smith and his men should they become the first Scottish team to lift a Euro trophy since Aberdeen took the European Cup- Winners' Cup by beating Real
Madrid in 1983.
H is for history
Can Rangers become the first Scottish club to lift the UEFA Cup? Three English teams - Liverpool, Spurs and Ipswich - have together won it on six occasions since it replaced the old Fairs Cup in 1971/72. But it has never come to Scotland, despite Celtic's valiant efforts five years ago.
I is for Ibrox
Where thousands of ticketless Rangers fans will watch a live beamback from Manchester on the world's biggest mobile screen - all 100 sq metres of it.
J is for Jean-Claude Darcheville
One of Smith's key players all season. He alone shouldered the attacking burden at Fiorentina. He, Charlie Adam and Daniel Cousin are the only Rangers players to have found the target more than once in open play in Europe this term, striking twice each
K is for Kirk Broadfoot
The defender who, less than a year after signing from St Mirren, finds himself in a team challenging for Euro glory. Also for Kris Boyd, the prolific striker, and the first SPL player to be top scorer at two clubs in the same season but who will still struggle to find a starting place on Wednesday.
L is for Sporting Lisbon
Defeated by Rangers in the quarter-finals. Like Fiorentina after them, Lisbon weathered a goalless draw at Ibrox in the first leg, and tried - and failed - to win at home. They went out 2-0 on aggregate.
M is for Manchester
The City of Manchester Stadium (capacity 47,726) is where Rangers' European dreams will live or die. It was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games (Ibrox will host rugby sevens during the 2014 Games in Glasgow). Home to Manchester City, it has also staged concerts by U2 and Bon Jovi. Also for assistant manager Ally McCoist, who still holds the club record for European goals - 21 in all.
N is for Nacho Novo
His decisive spot-kick gave Rangers a dramatic victory over Fiorentina in the second leg of the semis. Also scored a crucial away goal in the 81st minute against Panathinaikos in Round 3, causing Greek hearts to break and Rangers' hearts to beat a little faster.
O is for omen
Rangers' only Euro trophy came in May 1972 in
Barcelona, when they defeated Moscow Dynamo 3-2. Could that unforgettable win over a Russian team be echoed 36 years later by another?
P is for Pavel Pogrebnyak
The talented Zenit striker who scored twice in the second leg against Bayern, and 10 times in this season's competition. But luckily he won't be testing Rangers in Manchester - he will miss the game after picking up a booking against the Germans. Also for Sasa Pacac, a vital cog in Rangers' defence, and for Panathinaikos, one of Rangers' earlier UEFA conquests.
Q is for First Division Queen of the South
They'll be hoping Rangers' exertions in the SPL and UEFA Cup will leave them drained of energy ahead of the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park on May 24. Also for the Quadruple, Rangers' much-prized target this season.
R is for Rangers, of course.
It's also for Fernando Ricksen, the one-time Ibrox hero who is now plying his trade at Zenit St Petersburg. "Of course, I would love to get Rangers in the final. That's been my wish from the start," he said last month. Aye, right! Let's see if he's still so upbeat if Rangers win in
Manchester.
S is for Walter Smith
He took Rangers on an heroic near-run in the Champions League in 1992-93. Fifteen years later, he aims to get his hands on the UEFA Cup. Has revitalised the side to put them in serious contention on several fronts after the disappointments of the short-lived Paul Le Guen era.
T is for Anatoliy Tymoschuk
The 29-year-old captain of FC Zenit. His reaction after the dismissal of Bayern? "I could not believe we made it," said
the midfielder, who also played in the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals with Ukraine.
U is for UEFA Cup
The Bertoni Trophy. According to UEFA is weighs 15kg and is silver on a marble plinth. The website says: "Just above the plinth a group of players seem to be jostling for the ball. In fact they are supporting the octagonal cup which is emblazoned with the UEFA emblem." Now you know
V is for Victory
Rangers are chasing success on three fronts to add to the CIS cup, and a win on Wednesday night will bring the quadruple one step nearer.
W is for David Weir and Steven Whittaker
Two of the players on whom Smith has relied this season, with Whittaker scoring a
wonder goal away at Lisbon. And for Werder Bremen, one of the tournament favourites, knocked out by Rangers in Round 4 on a 2-1 aggregate.
X is (sort of) for Rangers' goalkeeper Neil Alexander
The keeper held his nerve during the nail-biting penalty shoot-out at Fiorentina to save from Fabio Liverani.
Y is for the Year 2008
The year in which the Rangers squad could become immortal by sealing the quadruple.
AND FINALLY....
Z is for Zenit, of course Whose fans every Rangers supporter hopes will be weeping disconsolately into their vodka after Wednesday's final.
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