Football: EUROPE RUN WILL GIVE ME ECK OF A CHANCE

MIDFIELDER Steven Whit taker may have cost Rangers pounds 2m when he moved from Hibs last month but the big-money signing has yet to make a splash for Scotland.

However, the 23-year-old, converted from a full-back by Ibrox gaffer Walter Smith, aims to put that right by using the Light Blues' Champions League ties as an audition for a place at Euro 2008 - if the Scots make it.

German champs Stuttgart will be at Ibrox on Wednesday and Whittaker, an unused sub when he was called up to replace the crocked Chriatian Dailly in the win in Lithuania last year, hopes that solid displays there and against Group E rivals Barcelona and Lyon will see him win his first cap. He said: "My first aim is to stay in the Rangers team.

"If I can continue to do that then you never know what the future will hold for me at international level. Everyone wants to play for their country but Scotland are top of Group B and doing fantastically well at the moment so it might be hard for people to break into the squad.

"However, if you're capable of performing against the top clubs in the Champions League you can play against top countries so it'll do no harm to do well in these games." Whittaker also argues that Celtic and Rangers can follow in Scotland's footsteps and find inspiration in the achievements of Alex McLeish's side when they take on the big guns. He said: "We'll plenty of confidence from that.

"With Scotland sitting above Italy, France and the Ukraine then why can't Rangers finish above the teams in our group?

"No-one would have thought Scotland would be in the position they're in just now so hopefully we can do something similar to that.

"Barcelona and Lyon are the two most established clubs at that level. Barcelona have a fantastic reputation in the competition and Lyon are there every year. There's no doubt we have a tough task on our hands.

"Stuttgart will be looking at that the same way as we are and they'll look to take maximum points from us so I'm sure it'll be a good game when they come here on Wednesday."

The Whittaker clan has got right behind him, to the extent that they've arranged a family outing for Rangers' visit to Barcelona on November 7.

"All my relatives will be there," he said.

"My parents, my two sisters and their husbands and children will be there and it'll be great to have that support as I might never get the chance to play in the Nou Camp again."

Whittaker is enjoying being a Rangers player and hopes to stay in the side for as long as possible.

"The club has done well since Walter Smith returned," he said.

"We've won all our home games. We've also won some matches by more than a couple of goals, which always gives you a boost. But we know that our squad will be fully tested by the games that are coming up in the next few weeks. I played for Hibs when we were beaten 5-1 by Dnipro in the UEFA Cup two seasons ago.

"They punished us clinically for every single mistake we made and that gave me an insight into what you need at this level.

"The top players will capitalise on every single error you make so we'll need to keep them to a minimum."

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