Dick Advocaat's influence will be felt on both sides next Wednesday when Rangers meet Zenit St Petersburg in the UEFA Cup final. It is a matter of public record that Barry Ferguson contemplated leaving Ibrox long before the brief affair with Blackburn Rovers. Frustrated by a lack of opportunity under Walter Smith, as the manager pursued a tenth successive championship by keeping faith with an ageing core, Ferguson only flourished after the immediate reassurance of Dick Advocaat when he swept into power in 1998.

Thereafter, prominence and leadership were duly bestowed on the enthusiastic and gifted youngster. Then came Fernando Ricksen.

By the time the unheralded full back was procured from AZ Alkmaar, along with the more established Bert Konterman, the Rangers first-team squad had a greater Dutch influence than Pennsylvania. Ricksen, raw and wild-eyed, earned the unique distinction of being terrorised by Bobby Petta. That it occurred on Ricksen's Old Firm debut, all 22 minutes of it, left a psychological scar that festered.

Responsibility was later awarded to Ricksen when Ferguson sought fresh pastures. It prompted the most prosperous season of Ricksen's entire career. Then came Paul Le Guen, or rather the drinks trolley on the pre-season flight to South Africa. Ricksen sought refuse in old Leningrad and has been safely ensconced there since without so much as a hint of a festive pyrotechnics display in his St Petersburg dacha.

Advocaat can claim a considerable influence on two of Wednesday's key figures. Yesterday, he spoke of their achievements as a proud father would congratulate his children for winning a school sports day.

In Ferguson's case, praise came with a mild rebuke at not earning a wider appreciation of his talent. "It was a good move by David Murray to bring him back but he should be at Arsenal or Manchester United," said Advocaat. "He is not a lesser player than Owen Hargreaves and some others. I think he could play there, too."

Instead, his flirtation with the Premiership took him to Blackburn Rovers, given the lure of working beside Graeme Souness, and ended with home sickness after recovery from a broken kneecap. "I was still surprised, though, that he came back to Rangers from Blackburn,"

he added. "Mind you, I was surprised he played for Blackburn in the first place. He has much more talent than that and can and could still play for the top four clubs in England.

"I know he was homesick. The Blackburn team was not doing so well and I think he wanted back to Scotland. I tried to become their manager when Souness left. They decided not to take a foreigner and took Mark Hughes."

And what of Ricksen, the misunderstood problem child who left Rangers in ignominious circumstances after a mid-air malfunction? A broken ankle has curtailed his progress at Zenit but, with his 31st birthday approaching, a new-found maturity and contentment has enabled him to cope with his status as second-choice right back.

"He has had injuries, but because he has respect for me, he doesn't do stupid things," said Advocaat. "He knows how I am. When Fernando came to Zenit, it was very good that he couldn't read and couldn't see things.

"He said to me he liked Glasgow, but he couldn't live there anymore. For him, it was a very good move.

I don't think he does crazy things because he knows the police in Russia would not give him a very nice time."

The protege will be pivotal to Rangers' prospects of overcoming yet another team of technical superiors. The prodigal son may have to watch from afar.

At 30, Advocaat acknowledges that Ferguson's prime has been afflicted by an ankle injury that has required painkilling injections and may necessitate an operation in the summer. Advocaat could barely disguise his disappointment that Ferguson has not fulfilled his promise on a grander stage.

"Barry has won everything with Rangers and the Scotland team has done well," said Advocaat. "If he wins the UEFA Cup with Rangers it will mean an awful lot to him and with the Old Firm you are always competing in Champions League.

"You do not get that at Ewood Park. As a coach, for me, with his potential, he could have done it in the Premiership."

He might also have done it with Zenit had Murray not backed his captain when Ferguson's relationship with Le Guen became irreparable. Instead, it was Ricksen who reunited in Russia with Advocaat.

"When I bought him and Konterman for Rangers, they were very poor at the beginning," said Advocaat with customary frankness. "Afterwards, Ricksen became better and better, winning player of the year."

None the less, Ricksen will only be guaranteed a start if the first-choice right back, Aleksandr Anyukov, does not recover from a long-standing ankle problem.

"It has been difficult for him since he became injured," said Advocaat. "I don't care about it being an emotional night for Ricksen. I care about what is my best team at the time."