Rangers need to “get going again and try again” in Europe following their Europa League final disappointment, says Ibrox great Dave Smith.
Smith was part of Rangers’ 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup-winning team and one of four players who also featured in the club’s 1967 final loss.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers side were beaten on penalties by Eintracht Frankfurt last week.
“The team, it was a great achievement for them this year,” Smith said.
“It’s a lot harder now. Football’s different.
“We had the pain of losing in ’67. You’ve got to get over it. You’ve just got to get going again and try again. We probably thought in ’72, the four of us, that would be our last chance. We weren’t getting any younger.”
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Watch the key moments of Rangers’ win over Hearts
Rangers ended the 2021-22 season with a Scottish Cup final victory over Hearts, giving Van Bronckhorst a first trophy as Ibrox boss six months after replacing Steven Gerrard.
Smith’s grandson attended both of Rangers’ finals this term and the former midfielder insists he “never really” dwells on the landmark success he had with the club.
“I don’t think I’m any different from anyone that walks past the house,” he added.
“I’ve been lucky. A lot of good players never got the chance. I got the chance, I was lucky enough to take the chance.
“The Rangers fans have all been good to me. They treat me very, very well.”
Listen to Dave Smith and Peter McCloy discussing Rangers’ 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup win on Sportsound on BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Sounds on Saturday from 1400 BST.
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