European away days, it just doesn’t get much better.

Sure, Old Firm derbies have their own unique feel and atmosphere, but they are often more endured than enjoyed, until victory is secured. Title wins were taken for granted for too long until events of the last decade changed that picture. A new vista emerged last May with the historic achievement of 55 and the very strange backdrop of no crowds due to the pandemic. That made for scenes of mass celebration and sheer jubilance outside the stadium that will live long in the memory for all who witnessed them.

Then there are cup wins at Hampden, of which there have been far too few lately. Steven Gerrard is now on his seventh attempt to secure a domestic cup competition, having tried and failed over several attempts so far. All of that comes with the bread and butter, the routine games that make up a season, aside from the high profile, glamour games.

However on the European stage and particularly under the lights, at Ibrox and across the continent, it just feels different. The highs get higher and many supporters would say that following their team abroad is as good as it gets. Certainly from this writer’s perspective, the memories and experiences of four trips over the 2007/08 run all the way to Manchester are very special indeed. Overall, notable mentions go to my first trip, to Villarreal (2006) and subsequent adventures to Bremen 2008, Florence (2008), Vienna (2018) and Rotterdam (2019).

Over the last 18 months, the impact of the pandemic has eliminated the travel plans and the aspirations of attending European away games for the vast majority. For others, despite travel restrictions, guidance, official rulings and decisions on ticket allocations, it has just meant more obstacles to overcome and greater difficulty to follow, follow abroad.

Yes, for the committed and dedicated, the hard-core, nothing will get in their way of supporting the team and being there, regardless of the location. This is a step further from those who routinely take the supporters' bus option across Europe, thinking nothing of 25/30 hour journeys from Glasgow via Dover to the relevant destination. Other hardy-souls picked up the cost as well as the arduous journey to get to Ufa, over 1000km east from Moscow, earlier in Gerrard's reign.

A lot of supporters want travel and arrangements to be as straightforward as possible, but for others it simply doesn’t matter, you just have to get there to be there. Think ‘behind closed doors’ games, no away allocations or even making the journey having no realistic prospect of getting to the game.

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Ahead of the Europa League clash against Sparta Prague, I spoke to one supporter who was making the journey to the Czech capital. Due to a UEFA ruling on incidents of racist chanting, the game will be played in front of a limited crowd made up of local children. There is also the backdrop of last season’s events against Slavia Prague and the ugly racism storm that took precedence over a disappointing exit on the pitch.

Thoughts of potential danger, of not getting into the game or anything else negative are not at the forefront of the agenda. Instead, the Glasgow based fan told me, when asked what he is most looking forward to: “I’m mostly looking forward to visiting Prague again, a great city with cheap beer and lots of history. I think if there were no restrictions, this game could have been this season’s Feyenoord/Vienna (previous trips when Gers fans travelled in their thousands)”

He added: “This tie has a certain edge to it, due to previous issues with Slavia from last season, so the build-up could be tense and the city quite lively on matchday.

“Despite being behind closed doors (officially), fans still want to go and where there is a will, there is a way - with more chance of getting in than sitting at home watching on TV. It’s important that active football supporters continue to be non-conformist and try to push the limits, which is what this trip will certainly do.”

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In speaking to another couple of supporters who made the trip to Amsterdam for the Feyenoord game, Sam from Belfast stated, “The hope of getting a ticket remained right up to the last minute, but as it was, I still felt heavily involved along with the rest of the supporters who remained in Amsterdam. The trip was always about Rangers and we got so much out of it, with memories that will live long."

Reece in Glasgow told me, “It was my first European away trip. The experience over there was brilliant, you couldn’t go into any pub or down a street without seeing fellow Rangers fans, who were in full voice throughout Amsterdam city centre. A big part of making the trip was to be part of the atmosphere that comes with the Rangers family.”

So there you have it. An insight to the desire and belonging that is felt by Rangers supporters collectively, as well as those who will be there, everywhere, anywhere.

It is not always rational or logical and most often certainly not easy or cheap, but for committed, dedicated supporters, they wouldn’t have it any other way.