Smith admits Gers are underdogs May 12 2008
Walter Smith insists he has no problem with Rangers being written off in Wednesday's UEFA Cup final against Zenit St Petersburg.
The Ibrox boss knows his players have been regarded as the underdogs for much of their European adventure this season.
From Champions League clashes with Barcelona, Stuttgart and Lyon to UEFA Cup ties against Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, Sporting Lisbon and Fiorentina, the Gers have rarely been tipped to come out on top.
Smith's men now face the final hurdle in the shape of Dick Advocaat's impressive Russians and the Scot is more than comfortable not to be burdened with the label of favourites.
"It doesn't offend in any way, shape or form," he said. "That is the way it has been throughout this European campaign, so we just have to accept that and get on with it.
"So far, we've had a lot of negative comments about us. Hopefully, that will continue through to Thursday or Friday.
"We've had a lot of situations where people say that Rangers play anti-football, rubbish football or whatever.
"But for a first-year team, we've settled in well and, for those teams that have lost to us, if they are that good, why have they not beaten us?
"Players make these comments and they've got to take a look at themselves."
The Light Blues failed in their bid to have a free weekend ahead of the trip to Manchester, meaning Saturday's win over Dundee United represented their third SPL game in seven days.
"You can see the amount of work they are putting in," Smith said of his players.
"It is a relief when you see the reward they get for it at the end.
"This season is a bit different from the others because we're not playing on the same level playing field as the rest.
"We know that, and that's what makes us so delighted to get a win in the end."
But, when asked if the Govan club were galvanised by the injustice of their situation, Smith insisted: "I always say that is a poor motivation.
"It may well be a motivation but it's not the greatest one. The greatest motivation is to go and win. Other things are poor motivational tools.
"As I say, I feel we are being erred against in this situation, but that is not the driving force.
"Our driving force is to try to win in all of the tournaments we're still involved in. That is what keeps us going more than anything else."
An historic quadruple remains the target and Smith added: "I'm proud of the way they are handling the season but it's like everything else - we've still got to try and win.
"We don't want to be sitting later saying, 'That was a good season but we never won'."