IT WAS over in a matter of minutes ... the heroes' welcome that never was. Several thousand loyal fans gathered in the Govan Stand at Ibrox to welcome back the Rangers team defeated by Zenit St Petersburg in the Uefa Cup Final in ,p>Manchester.

And as the players walked around on the pitch, applauding the crowd, the glum looks on their faces said it all. Council chief: Yobs must be punished DRUNKEN yobs who ran riot in Manchester have been told they don't represent Rangers or Glasgow.

And city council leader Steven Purcell has said he hopes they face the full force of the law.

Mr Purcell, who was in Manchester to back the team, insisted the trouble was caused by a minority.

He told a meeting of the full council: "The vast majority of fans who travelled behaved in an impeccable way and were ambassadors not only for their club but for the city and their country.

"However, a small number of fans were involved in incidents during and after the match.

"They don't represent this city, they don't represent Rangers football club and have acted in a way the vast majority of people in this city would not approve of."

The City Chambers meeting was attended by Strathclyde Police Chief Constable Steve House.

Mr Purcell added: "It is important police in Manchester are given the full support of Strathclyde Police and Rangers in investigating the cause and nature of the incidents and that those were responsible are dealt with so we send out a clear message this is something that is not approved of.

"I have been in touch with the leader of Manchester City Council.

"What is important is we don't come to an early conclusion about how these issues arose. We need to know the facts."

The planned open-top bus parade around the Ibrox area - win or lose - was cancelled early yesterday as news of the death of Tommy Burns filtered through.

But also casting a shadow over the day were the shameful scenes of fans rioting in Manchester city centre and the stabbing of a Russian fan at the match.

It was self-evident that this was no time for celebration.

Robert Smith, 47, of Blantyre, Lanarkshire was one of around 300 fans gathered in Edmiston Drive to see the team step from the coach at 1.30pm yesterday.

He said: "I'm just gutted that they didn't win.

"I had a ticket and was in the stadium. The atmosphere there was great.

"I was in the centre at Piccadilly during the day and there was no trouble.

"I feel really bad about what happened later.

"The scenes looked terrible on TV but you have to remember that's a minority of fans."

Avril Campbell, 39, of Skelmorlie, Ayrshire, said: "You couldn't move in the city centre. It was just too busy.

"During the day the police were great, really friendly. Everyone was having a great time. It's so disappointing to see what happened later."

Robert Wilson, 31, from Cardonald, Glasgow said: "Regardless of the result, it was a great performance by the team to get to the final.

"We would have hoped for more here but you've got to remember that 50,000 people are still trying to get back to Glasgow from down south."

Commenting on the trouble in the city centre, he added: "There was too much drink, too much alcohol. It was too packed."

Another Lanarkshire man Murray Hood, 44, of Rutherglen, said: "I couldn't get to the match so I wanted to come down to show my support for Walter Smith and everyone else.

"It was a great achievement for Walter to get to the Uefa Cup Final in such a short space of time as manager."

Inside the ground, fans had waited for around 90 minutes before the players emerged after the Ibrox squad's flight was delayed. The pitch walkabout which followed lasted no more than four minutes.

After the crowds dispersed, Rangers chief executive Martin Bain, and security chief Kenny Scott, stood by the pitch to answer a handful of questions from the media.

They knew what was coming. As they were landing at Glasgow Airport, police in Manchester had released CCTV footage showing possibly hundreds of fans charging at police and beating up an officer after the game in the city centre.

Mr Bain and Mr Scott condemned the actions of the thugs involved, but laid the blame for the trouble on a "couple of hundred" supporters.

Mr Scott, a former commander at Strathclyde Police, said: "A tiny minority of Rangers fans have disgraced the name of this club.It's time these people, who are intent on destroying the good name of Rangers, stayed away from this club."

Asked about the breakdown of the screen in Piccadilly which appeared to prompt scenes of mayhem in the city streets, Mr Bain said that the incident was a "catalyst" for the trouble but it did not excuse the behaviour.

Mr Scott rejected claims that Manchester City Council had not done enough to welcome Rangers fans and should have been better prepared, saying: "The council did do enough."

Asked whether the club feared sanctions from Uefa, Mr Bain replied: "Uefa will deal with us how they feel fit."