TICKETLESS Rangers fans heading to Manchester will be able to watch the Uefa Cup Final on massive outdoor screens.

Manchester City Council had already agreed to install "fan zones" serving food and drink in Albert Square and Piccadilly Gardens for up to 100,000 fans expected to travel south for next Wednesday's match.

But now town hall chiefs and police have agreed supporters should be able to watch the match live on huge temporary screens in those areas, with the city set to make a staggering £5million overall from the event.

The decision will satisfy a massive outcry from both sides of the border for travelling Rangers fans without tickets to be able to see the action against Zenit St Petersburg.

Both the Glasgow club and their Russian opponents were originally given 13,000 seats at the showpiece final in the City of Manchester Stadium.

But a Rangers spokesman confirmed "just under 17,000" Scots fans now had tickets after getting extra from Uefa.

Both Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and the Manchester Pub and Club Network had supported calls for screens for fans without tickets.

The network's spokesman, Phil Burke, said: "We don't want people to go away saying, It's rubbish in Manchester, there was no big screen and we couldn't get into a bar because it was so full'."

The decision to have screens was taken by council leader Sir Richard Leese and city centre spokesman Pat Karney after consultation with police.

Manchester City Council's Pat Karney said: "Our city is well used to friendly invasions of many thousands of visitors for major events like the UEFA Cup Final.

"In the light of Rangers qualifying for the final and the massive reported demand from fans for bigger and better provision, we've arranged for big outdoor screens for fans to watch the match.

"Pubs and clubs across the city will also provide opportunities for many thousands of fans to enjoy the match and soak up the atmosphere of the big day.

"I'm confident Manchester will give a very warm welcome to fans from Rangers and from Zenit and all fans will have a fabulous day."

There will be no screens near the stadium but live entertainment and three-a-side football will be on in the city's Castlefield area.

Hotels as far away as Blackpool are reported to be fully booked ahead of the historic match.

Hateley in forgery alert

DESPERATE fans have been warned not to be conned into buying fake tickets for the Uefa showdown.

Rangers today revealed fakes were being circulated in Glasgow for Wednesday's Manchester final against Zenit St Petersburg.

And the club appealed to fans to avoid the forgery risk - and instead stay in Glasgow to watch the game.

Mark Hateley, Rangers Uefa Cup fans' ambassador, said: "Rangers fans are determined to see this game, but demand for tickets outstrips supply. I would encourage all supporters not to be fooled into buying forgeries that are doing the rounds in the city.

"If you don't have a ticket, please don't waste your money on fakes. Come to Ibrox and cheer on Walter and the team."

Fan power wins

THE move to put the match on big screens is a victory for fan power after they swamped a newspaper website.

The Manchester Evening News said its site received "an unprecedented outpouring of postings from Scottish fans" which heavily swayed the authorities to set up the fan zones with big screens.

It followed a serious of tough questions from the paper as to how Manchester was going to entertain the thousands of travelling Rangers fans.

Paul Horrocks, Editor of the Manchester Evening News and the MEN website said: "Manchester and Glasgow have got much in common. Both are friendly cities with a massive sporting heritage and of course both with links to huge events like the Commonwealth Games which will come to Glasgow in 2014. We are pleased to have been able to play our part in making sure that Rangers fans will be able to watch the game unfold live in our city centre."

200-mile supporter cavalcade set for trip

THOUSANDS of Rangers fans will lead a 200-mile cavalcade from the Ibrox home of their heroes all the way to Manchester when they head for the Uefa Cup Final next week.

Fans were not put off by the city's calls to stay at home for the once-in-a-generation chance to see their heroes compete for a European title.

And as Manchester finally opened its doors with promises of fan zones across the city open to all, stalwarts have revealed their plans for a moving party that will stretch virtually from stadium to stadium.

Fans will set out from the gates of Ibrox at 10am on Tuesday, beginning a procession that will run through the centre of Glasgow before filling the M74 past Strathclyde Park and the route south to the City of Manchester Stadium.

Almost 17,000 fans have tickets for Wednesday night's clash but they will form just a fraction of the supporters taking advantage of the easy links to Manchester to make sure they can say "I was there".

Tens of thousands more fans are expected to make their way by car, motorbike and even borrowed works vans to make sure they are in town for the party of a lifetime.