Whittaker believes 2008 memories can boost Gers

16 February 2011 16:30
Steven Whittaker hopes Rangers can draw on past experiences as they maintain their bid to fight for silverware on four fronts this season. The last time the Scottish champions battled for a clean-sweep in both Europe and at home, they progressed all the way to the UEFA Cup final only to miss out on both the European trophy and the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title. Crippling fixture congestion proved too much for Walter Smith's men to overcome back in 2008. But, as Rangers prepare to host Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League on Thursday night, Whittaker is hoping for a similar run but with a different outcome this time around. "We definitely have good memories of that time," he said. "It was a fantastic run we were on that year. "The fixture backlog set us back a little bit and we can take the experience of that into this year hopefully and still have a good run and have success at the end of the season. "It's something we just have to deal with. We can't choose when the fixtures come, it's made for us. The boys who maybe haven't been playing as much will get their chance to come in and do the job."

Source: PA