JOHN HOPKINS in Moscow

Fernando Ricksen has branded his former club Rangers as "boring" and been critical of their defensive tactics.

The Zenit St Petersburg player, who spent six years at Ibrox, claimed that Walter Smith's side do not attack at all. He believes that, in terms of style, the club has gone backwards from the days when he was on the books.

Ricksen said that he does not blame anyone at Ibrox, because the club no longer has the money to build a more entertaining team.

The comments, which include some stern words for the Scottish press, are sure to stir things up ahead of next Wednesday's UEFA Cup final in Manchester.

"These days Rangers' game is quite boring," said Ricksen. "But it's only because of a lack of good players. And probably they can't buy any because they haven't got enough money."

Once fined for letting off fireworks in the middle of the night, the Dutchman's opinions showed he can still have an explosive impact off the pitch.

"In the three games I've seen them in this season, they didn't attack at all. Jean-Claude Darcheville was running the whole game without getting the ball. Rangers only made two or three shots on goal.

"They play typical British football: long balls, high balls, big men at the back. Under Dick Advocaat and Alex McLeish they were trying to put that system aside and play real combination football."

While unimpressed at their style, Ricksen, who was transferred out of Ibrox by Paul Le Guen, says the man currently in the Ibrox manager's seat deserves credit for turning the club around.

"The results are great," he said. "They're in a European final for the first time in over 30 years. "I know the Rangers manager, Walter Smith, very well. He is very good. Smith knows how to use his players' best qualities, which he has already shown on several occasions this season."

Ricksen, 32, was speaking in the Russian newspaper Sport-Express, and the Dutchman, who is unlikely to start in next week's final, explained why he wouldn't give the Scottish media the same courtesy.

"During the last week I have had a lot of calls from Scottish journalists. But I didn't reply to them," he said.

Referring to his turbulent private life - it included a high-profile battle with an alcohol problem and a fleeting encounter with glamour girl Jordan - he said: "They've created so many stories out of my name and I'm not going to let them make any more money out of it.

"They write with one goal only - to sell a paper. And you can't do anything about it - this is their culture. That's why I've got no wish to talk to Scottish journalists. In this sense, I feel much more comfortable in Russia. Here people only discuss your football qualities, but not your private life."

The comments about Rangers' playing style are unlikely to make Ricksen popular with the support who once idolised him.

But he's already been on the receiving end of a barracking from their fans since leaving. He was booed at Ibrox after a crunching tackle on winger Chris Burke in a friendly between the two clubs in November 2006.

Rangers suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat to the Russians that night, amid the dark days of Le Guen's reign. But they look set to make it much tougher for Zenit, and Ricksen, in Manchester.