THE Uefa Cup Final in Manchester in 2008 is remembered now for the trouble which flared after one of the giant screens in the city centre failed.

The scenes as so-called Rangers supporters clashed with riot police sickened all those who hold the Ibrox club dear.

It was a terrible turn of events at what should, by rights, have been a proud occasion to savour for everyone associated with the Glasgow institution.

Walter Smith's charges had surprised Scottish football, and the entire European game for that matter, with their extended run in the competition.

They took an unashamedly defensive approach which had soon been dubbed "Wattenaccio" - a play, of course, on the Catenaccio made famous by Helenio Herrera's Inter Milan side of the 1960s - to their ties home and away.

It may not have been 'Total Football' and it may have drawn some highly derogatory comments from opposing players, but it was undoubtedly devastatingly effective.

The scalps of Panathinaikos of Greece, Werder Bremen of Germany, Sporting Lisbon of Portugal and Fiorentina of Italy were claimed.

That set up a final showdown against an expensively-assembled Zenit St Petersburg managed by none other than former Ibrox manager Dick Advocaat.

An unprecedented clamour for tickets followed. But not being able to buy a brief for the match at the City of Manchester Stadium didn't deter many.

An estimated 130,000 Rangers fans descended on Manchester - only 37,000 of whom were inside the stadium for kick-off - in the days leading up to the game and there was an air of celebration in the pubs and on the streets.

As the match drew nearer, though, there was a definite shift. The fight between rival fans which broke out in a pub the night before gave a taste of what was to follow.

I had attended a media briefing with a senior police official at the stadium several days before the match and was concerned and staggered by his arrogant and dismissive

response to legitimate questions about the considerable issues his force faced controlling such a large number of people.

He sniggered, rolled his eyes and spoke in a condescending tone to the assembled news-paper, radio and television

reporters in attendance. The chances are he wasn't laughing as his city turned into a war zone on the day of the game.

Greater Manchester Police had, he explained, been preparing for the final for a year. They had been at the Uefa Cup final between Espanyol and Sevilla the year before and had closely monitored how their Glasgow counterparts dealt with things.

It was glaringly obvious, even at that stage, that a match in England involving a Scottish club bore no comparison with the game that had preceded it 12 months before. There was nowhere near as many visiting supporters at Hampden.

Rangers supporters flocked to the 2008 final from all over the United Kingdom on buses, cars and trains to pay homage to their heroes' achievement, regardless of whether they could go to the game or not.

The police representative appeared blissfully unaware of the magnitude of the challenge that lay ahead, or the enormous potential for disorder which existed at what was an unprecedented occasion.

In the hours leading up to kick-off, it became clear all was not going to plan.

Off-licences and supermarkets were selling out of alcohol and closing their doors to customers.

Fans drank heavily in the streets and parks for hours in glorious weather. Many started getting out of control.

But when the screen in the Zenit fanzone in Piccadilly Gardens broke down during the match all hell broke loose.

The photographs and video footage of the chaos which ensued, in particular when a large group of rioters attacked a

single officer, was chilling.

Martin Bain, the then Rangers chief executive, argued that much of the trouble was caused by fans who "don't normally attach themselves to our support" in the aftermath.

The Ibrox club escaped punishment from Uefa because of the conduct of the fans who were inside the stadium.

There can, of course, be no excuses for the behaviour of the louts who embarrassed Rangers Football Club. But could the authorities have done more to prevent what occurred?

I remain convinced to this day they could have and maintain they should shoulder some of the responsibility.

Rangers lost the final to a superior Zenit side after conceding goals to Igor Denisov and Konstantin Zyryanov in the second half of a game they never really looked like winning.

But the result paled into insignificance given what took place elsewhere that night.

I can remember chatting to a Rangers fan who hailed from Govan outside the stadium the day before the game.

He was a soldier in the army and had watched the previous rounds on Forces TV while serving in Afghanistan. He had returned home so he could be at the game with his young son.

They didn't have tickets. They just wanted to be present at what they probably quite rightly believed would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and savour the atmosphere. I felt for that father and boy as things went so badly awry.

It was a sorry denouement to what should have been a great day for Rangers and Scottish football.