JOHN LUNDSTRAM endured a Champions League nightmare. Now he is living the Europa League dream.
The midfielder was part of Steven Gerrard's side that were humbled by Malmo as Rangers' return to the biggest stage of all ended in a premature exit and costly defeat. Just days later, he was sent off as Alashkert were narrowly overcome to ensure Rangers still had a European campaign to look forward to.
For Lundstram, and for an entire squad and support, those embarrassing and underwhelming nights at the start of the season seem such a long time ago. Come next Wednesday, they will all be forgotten.
The story of the season - from a failed title defence to Old Firm euphoria at Hampden - has been a remarkable one for Rangers and Lundstram's own tale, all the highs and the lows, is a key part of the narrative.
He was written off as an expensive mistake in the opening months of the campaign but his rise and rise in recent times has seen him emerge as a favourite with fans and a mainstay of Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side.
During those dark, difficult days, it was hard to see how the Scouser could turn around his Ibrox career. Today, it is strange to consider just why he was so readily dismissed as critics have been silenced and doubters won over.
Lundstram will take to the field in Seville as a European finalist. If he leaves it as a Europa League winner, his personal triumph of transformation will have the ultimate happy ending.
"It wasn’t the start I’d have liked, of course not," Lundstram said as he reflected on his first weeks at Ibrox that included the defeat to ten-man Malmo and red card in the qualifier with Alashkert at Ibrox. "I had ambitions to get into the Champions League but it wasn’t to be.
"We’ve worked our socks off to get where we now are. No-one sees the work behind the scenes that we go through and the pressures off the field.
"The start I had with the club wasn’t what I wanted. So to come out the other end, get to this final and put this club back where it belongs is just unbelievable.
"Am I proud of myself? I’ve got to be, haven’t I? To be honest, it doesn’t feel real. It really doesn’t.
"I’m just so happy to have got there with this club. I’ve fallen in love with the place and I’m just so happy.
"To be honest, just my girlfriend [helped me through it] really. She’s been my rock.
"She obviously sees my mood swings and she’s there for me. But I’m not really a big talker.
"I’m one of those people who just gets on with it. But my girlfriend has been a real support."
Lundstram would take the acclaim of the Ibrox crowd last Thursday as his dramatic late winner secured victory over RB Leipzig and a spot in Seville against Eintracht Frankfurt.
It was the kind of moment the Scouser could only have wished for when he made the decision to move from Sheffield United last summer and join the champions.
Boss Van Bronckhorst hailed the character and quality of his side before a ball was kicked at Ibrox. Over the following 90 minutes, those traits shone through individually and collectively.
"It’s the best bar none," Lundstram said of the victory over Leipzig as goals from James Tavernier and Glen Kamara secured a 3-2 aggregate success on the night. "One hundred percent.
"Playing in the Premier League was always as dream of mine. Then, coming here to this great, great football club, this means the absolute world to me. Honestly.
"We’re just happy to be there. Whoever it would have been – West Ham or Frankfurt. Getting there is a massive achievement for everyone.
"But the players all want to win it, of course we do. Going into a final, you are not thinking anything else. That’s the mindset
"Definitely, [the character] has grown. I think you always grow over the course of a season.
"It’s not easy to start off like a house on fire and I think most squads grow and that’s happened with us.
"It’s hard to put a finger on it. I think it’s just a bunch of great lads. There is no nonsense and there are loads of leaders in the team.
"First and foremost, there is all good people. That’s it, yeah."
The Ibrox squad is not short of leaders on and off the park and Lundstram has grown into that role himself over recent months as he has risen to prominence for Rangers.
His endeavours today owe much to his own strength of character as well as his tactical nous and physical exertions and the role of Van Bronckhorst cannot be understated.
Yet the 28-year-old knows he has to credit his upbringing on Merseyside. In former Liverpool and Everton hero Kevin Sheedy, he had the perfect mentor in his formative years.
Lundstram said: "I was a Liverpool fan growing up but once you’re at Everton for 15 years or whatever it was, it becomes a massive part of your life and it meant so much to me.
"My early dream was to play in the Premier League for them. It never quite happened but I got the chance to play in the Premier League further down the line.
"To now come and get into a Europa League final? To be honest, it wasn’t something I ever dreamed of because I didn’t think it was something that would ever happen.
"Kev was a massive influence on me. I worked with him for two or three years. He’s an unbelievable fella and someone who helped me massively in my career. He took my game to another level.
"I think he was one of my biggest inspirations to be honest. Because it’s at an early age, in the grassroots really, when you learn most of your trade. As a player he was a legend and played for both Everton and Liverpool.
"I’ve no idea what Kev’s up to now but I’d like to think he’d be proud. He was a great coach and we got on really well. I hope he is proud of me, yeah.
"I don’ think I’ve seen him since I was in the reserves at Everton, maybe eight years ago or something. But he was a massive influence on me, that’s for sure."
