A motivational slogan in the youth players' entrance at Murray Park has been adopted by Rangers' senior servants. "If you aren't going all the way, why go at all?"

Yesterday, both David Weir and Charlie Adam offered variations on that mantra as they looked ahead to a perilous journey to Lithuania to salvage their Champions League aspirations at the second qualifying round.

They take the consolation of a clean sheet, and precious little else, to Kaunas next week after a tense struggle against FBK at Ibrox on Wednesday. In order to reach the group stages, and reap the financial windfall, Rangers will have to survive in the S Darius and S Girenas Stadium; then do it all over again in more esteemed company in the final qualifying round, the draw for which is made today.

Overcoming Kaunas would at least ensure the parachute of UEFA Cup football but that would be of no comfort to two contributors to last season's surge to the final in Manchester. Indeed, given Rangers' expiration in the final weeks of the season, another enduring UEFA Cup campaign could undermine their domestic priorities.

"UEFA is a poor second prize, safety net or not," said Weir, despite being a pillar of last season's adventure in the secondary competition. "We want to be in the Champions League; that's the place to be and anything else is a poor consolation prize."

The stand-in captain was not short of allies in the dressing room. "We need to be in the Champions League, no matter what," said an emphatic Adam. "Financially, we need it as a club, and as players wanting to improve, we need to be competing against the best."

Easier said than done. Walter Smith's fears over Rangers' lack of invention, aired as far back as last season, were confirmed in a display of brute strength and barren finishing at Ibrox. The creative conundrum runs deeper than the search for a bona fide No.10. Rangers have no attacking support from either Steven Whittaker or Sasa Papac in the full-back positions, while Kirk Broadfoot has been discouraged from breaking out of defence.

The midfield of Lee McCulloch, Adam, Kevin Thomson and Christian Dailly was one-dimensional and one-paced, while Jean-Claude Darcheville's lack of composure was again exposed.

Adam, the closest Rangers have to an incisive midfielder, has taken the criticism to heart but has an honest assessment of the club's predicament. "The team is not blessed with a Messi but we know we have guys who can play a pass and win a game," he said. "Sometimes I worry when people say there is no creativity because of my position but it seems everybody has just jumped on that bandwagon.

"As far as I can see, we created enough chances on Wednesday, we just couldn't convert them."

Smith will have to shuffle his pack in search of the away goal that will at least preserve a flicker of optimism for the final qualifying round. Weir has played in the old stadium on international duty and will use his leadership to promote personal pride among the squad.

"It has to come from within," he said. "There is such a big prize at stake and we cannot look for the crowd to motivate us over in Kaunas; we need to be self-motivated.

"There are no excuses. We should be winning games like these but we did manage a clean sheet and we are still very much in the tie. I feel we were the better team but it is not always the better team that goes through, but the team that scores most goals."

In this regard, Rangers have previous. The majority of their wins in the UEFA Cup were founded on obduracy in the home leg and prudent counter-attacking away from home. In order for Rangers to reach the group stages, Smith may have no alternative but to revert to last season's template of tactical pragmatism, even in spite of his striking surplus.

"We got to the UEFA Cup final last season and the expectation is now to match that or better it," said Adam, perpetuating an unrealistic objective. "We relish the challenge but this was only our first competitive game. We showed last season we could score goals away from home in Europe in the UEFA Cup and we did it in tough places like Stuttgart and Lyon as well. We will need to do that again."

Kaunas will be encouraged by the performances of Rafael Ledesma, the Brazilian attacker, and Pascal Mendy, a diligent recycler in the holding midfield role. The underdogs celebrated a moral victory as Vladimir Romanov, in his role as company sponsor to FBK, looked on approvingly from the Ibrox directors' box.

"I saw them celebrate as I was walking off and if they think they are through already, then that suits us," said Adam. "I think we showed at the end that even though they are midway through their season, our fitness was better than theirs.

"We have a lot of improvement to come, I don't know if they have."

The truth will out.