Long and winding road to Hampden

ACCORDING to the experts at the AA, it is 4.6 miles by road from Ibrox to Hampden Park, and exactly ten times that distance from Tynecastle to the National Stadium. Either way, it is a very much longer road which Hearts and Rangers will have to travel if either or both is to play in the 2007 UEFA Cup final there next May.

Friday's draw for the UEFA Cup was just the start of the long haul to Hampden for Hearts and Rangers. The prize for beating Sparta Prague of the Czech Republic and Molde of Norway respectively could be counted in the millions for the Scottish sides, as they will then enter the group stages to play four games, two home and two away, in a group of five. Finish first, second or third in the group and they will join the rest of the qualifiers plus the eight teams who finish third in the Champions League groups to form a 32-strong knockout tournament of home and away ties.

And reaching that knockout stage could be very, very lucrative for Hearts and Rangers, as for the first time, UEFA has decided to allocate some of the television revenue to teams who make the last 32, with the rewards increasing as sides progress in the tournament.

Celtic's march to the 2003 UEFA Cup final earned the Parkhead club £10m, and Rangers will easily better that sum if they make the final - chief executive Martin Bain has estimated that making the group stage will be worth £5m alone to the Ibrox club, and the club's financial results showed they banked £16m for making the last 16 in last season's Champions League. Leaving aside the possible increased television revenue, there are potentially seven money-spinning home matches for Hearts and Rangers before the final, and that is why there must be considerable apprehension for the Edinburgh side in particular over a tough tie against a team presently sitting third in the Czech league.

Hearts do not want to repeat their elimination from the Champions' League in the UEFA Cup. Beating Sparta will also go a long way to repaying Vladimir Romanov's investment in the club. With crowds in excess of 30,000 at Murrayfield, plus television income, Sparta Prague represents an obstacle to a treasure chest worth nearly £4m or more to the Tynecastle club. Reach the knockout stages and Hearts could double that income. Reach the final, and Hearts could pay for half the proposed new £20m-plus Tynecastle stadium. But to get that pot of gold, Hearts must dismiss Sparta Prague, who they will face at Murrayfield on September 14.

They must do so without Julien Brellier, who was dismissed controversially against AEK Athens in last week's Champions League qualifier, but talismanic midfielder Paul Hartley, who played in midweek while returning to fitness after a groin injury, should be able to play a more influential role.

The Tynecastle faithful will be hoping for an extended run in the UEFA Cup and will happily point to one good omen - they won the last tournament which had its final at Hampden Park.

Rangers manager Paul Le Guen confirmed that loan signings from Manchester United, Lee Martin and Phil Bardsley, will both be eligible for the UEFA Cup.

"I would like a great run in the UEFA Cup," said Le Guen. "The most important thing is to win the first round and to have the possibility to play the four games after that. Our aim is to have a very good team, and if we have a good team for Scottish football then we will have a good team for European games. There are some differences, but I repeat that football is always football and if we are able to improve here then we will be ready for European games."

Le Guen knows that the finances available to him for transfer business in January might be considerably boosted should Rangers make it into the group stages, but he refuses to think that far ahead. "Honestly, it is too early to speak about that," said Le Guen. "We will continue to work, to follow players and travel sometimes to watch games. It's part of our job and we know that we need to improve our squad."

Should Hearts and Rangers prosper, it is possible that Scotland could have three teams in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup, as Celtic could finish third in their Champions League group if results go against them. Should that happen, what price a Scottish team making it all the way to Hampden?

Taken from the Scotsman