Rangers ended Group G with their fourth defeat of the campaign
By Andy Campbell
Rangers' fruitless Champions League campaign came to an end without a final flourish as the Ibrox club recorded their lowest ever points total in the group stages of the competition.
The solitary-goal defeat to Sevilla left Walter Smith's side with two points from their six Group G games but, in many respects, Europe has acted merely as a side-show to a bigger saga emanating from one of Glasgow's big two.
The most recent set of accounts showed that Rangers were £31m in debt and former chairman Sir David Murray is still searching for someone to buy his majority shareholding.
Spending has been reduced to such an extent that the club have not purchased a player for over a year and there has been pressure from the bank to cut their wage bill and offload players.
Rangers are still within touching distance of the Scottish Premier League summit and could find themselves back in Europe next season.
The more Rangers get into the Champions League, it makes them more attractive to a buyer
Craig Paterson
But, according to former players Craig Paterson and Billy Dodds, Wednesday's defeat illustrated how urgently the Ibrox club need to find new investment for the European arena.
"At the moment, they're looking for a white knight galloping in, somebody who's got a lot of money and the club at heart who can deal with the debt and give the manager money - real money - to spend in the transfer market," said Paterson.
"When you look at the top teams abroad, very few are reared on homegrown talent. It's money that talks. If you've got it, you can compete. If you don't, I'm afraid you're also-rans.
"On the night, it was a decent effort (against Sevilla). It was backs to the wall but defending is an art and Rangers performed.
"They got behind the ball, they stopped a really, really good side. They ran their luck early in the game and late on they might have just nicked a point, which would've been a fantastic finish to the campaign.
"Rangers do not open up and play teams off the park, not at this level. They open up and they leave themselves open to the counter-attack.
Disappointment has been a familiar feeling for Rangers in Europe
"If Rangers are going to change the style of play and go for a more flamboyant style, they need new players and that means a new owner and that means a new investment in the team.
"It's going to take big money, it's going to take three or four players of the highest quality to do that and at the moment, they can't do it.
"Over the piece, against quality sides they weren't quite good enough."
Though Rangers knew before they travelled to Spain that they were destined to finish bottom of the section, Sevilla were still looking to clinch top spot while VfB Stuttgart and Unirea Urziceni both approached their meeting with aspirations of progressing to the next round.
In the end, it was the German side that joined Sevilla in the next round and Romanians Unirea had to settle for third place and a spot in the last 32 of the Europa League.
"It doesn't surprise me that the two teams with the money in this group progressed," said former Ibrox striker Billy Dodds.
"Rangers should be doing better but you can't compete if you've not got the money."
Smith, who will work without a contract after his current deal expires next month, will now turn his attentions to domestic matters and the defence of the SPL title.
"There's a real battle at the top of the table," added Paterson.
"Rangers and Celtic are there, so are Dundee United and Hibernian and Rangers are going to have some difficult games coming up.
"If Rangers get through the transfer window without losing any of their best players, that will allow them to challenge Celtic and whoever for the title and get back into the Champions League.
"The more they do that, it reduces the debt, money comes in and it makes them more attractive to a buyer."
Craig Paterson and Billy Dodds were talking on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound
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