ECK PRIDES OFF INTO SUNSET

ALEX McLEISH has presided over Rangers' last 234 matches. Almost all of them have been vital because this is a club that doesn't play meaningless matches, it would have you believe.

Well, McLeish picks his last team tomorrow and at the 235th time of asking, it really doesn't matter a jot.

Hearts will arrive at Ibrox more intent on remaining healthy for next week's cup final than in inflicting further damage on Rangers.

It's not as if they haven't caused the Ibrox side enough heartache, is it?

Their win on Wednesday clinched the Champions League place Rangers coveted and while they won't turn up in jester's hats blowing party poppers, they really won't be busting a gut.

And if Rangers win the battle, then so what? They've lost the war.

McLeish knows all this, of course. But that won't stop him sending out the best team he has available to him.

He wants to end his time with a win and while he won't be carried on the shoulders of his players round the track if he does, McLeish will be able to walk away with his head held high.

Seven trophies in his four-and-a-half years is the kind of haul that demands respect but peel back the cold statistics and a different story emerges.

Five of the seven trophies were won in McLeish's first 18 months. In other words, the last three years have seen only two triumphs and one of those was the CIS Cup.

Finishing third and not even making a domestic cup final represents the worst return since before Graeme Souness arrived at Ibrox and McLeish's pride has taken a massive hit.

That's why he doesn't want defeat to stain his club suit on his last day.

He said: "There's nothing to play for in terms of the Champions League but there is a certain other word which is part of my raison d'etre - pride.

"Therefore I'll play a team I think can beat Hearts. Congratulations to them, they probably have the best midfielder in the country in Paul Hartley. It's a great achievement.

"We probably blew it in the Aberdeen game after the split. There was some psychological stuff in the papers, some people read it and can feel nervous about it but they handled it.

"They've a lot of experienced players and they've had a good season. Romanov came in and spent money and they've got their reward."

Inevitably, McLeish spent time looking back yesterday and while he knows he wasn't universally loved by the Rangers support, he insisted he gave them everything he had.

He said: "I'm proud to have served this great club but nothing is forever. I'll look forward but I'll also look back on some great memories.

"The fact I've been here for four-and-a-half years shows I've been doing something right.

"I'm glad I stayed when the pressure was on me, to see it through.

"I don't know how people will look at my time here. I've got a lot of people who've said I'll be able to look back with pride. You never forget championships and silverware but while the last 16 of Europe isn't really regarded that highly, when I think of the teams that have attempted it before, squads with more quality, and the fact we had players injured, I'm proud of that."

Undeniably, he had less money to spend than the men he replaced or the one that will occupy his office next season but there is no bitterness.

He said: "I think it would have been interesting if there'd been huge spending power but I'm not bitter.

"At the time, David Murray needed somebody who would relish the challenge and realise that there wasn't going to be a lot of money to spend.

"I've learned a lot but we all make mistakes. Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson still make mistakes.

"Some fans will never like you. Some didn't even likeWalter Smith but maybe there were more who fully backed me."

He has no idea how he'll feel at the final whistle but he is adamant that he will now take a break from football, even if he is already being touted for work in the Premiership.

He said: "I need to freshen up. This has been a very draining season.

"I don't know how I'll feel at the end. I'll need to wait and see what spontaneous emotions there are.

"I'd like to think that the last four-and-a-half years have brought a lot of happiness to the Rangers fans.

"I take great pride and pleasure in that. I've lived the dream.

"I've achieved milestones from the minute I walked up the marble staircase and put pen to paper.

"In any job I've always given 100 per cent and if I go to another club in the future, it will be the same.

"I don't know how I'm regarded in England, it would be the English market that tells you that.

"I'm obviously not as well known as Martin O'Neill and guys who have already been successful down there.

"I'll take some time off and think about it and if I'm lucky enough to get the offer of a job in a few months' time I'll look at it then.

"I've no irons in the fire. There are jobs coming up in England but there is no way I'm throwing my hat in the ring yet. I've heard that I'm supposed to be interested in the Charlton job.

"Obviously somebody gave my name to the chairman down there without my permission. It doesn't interest me at the moment, maybe some time in the future."

You get the feeling that when McLeish walks away for the last time on Sunday, it will be forever. But the departing manager has been in the game long enough never to say never.

He said: "You never know in football. It's probably more on the continent you get managers returning, it's rarer in the British Isles but you can never tell."

No, McLeish will move on and one day Paul Le Guen will also manage Rangers for the last time.

If the Frenchman has as many highs and lows as the man he's replacing, Rangers fans should strap themselves in for one hell of a rollercoaster ride.

I'm proud to have served this club but nothing is forever'

Taken from the Daily Record