The dream became a nightmare.
Ally McCoist spoke immediately after Rangers' defeat in Amsterdam. It wasn't a good day for the former Rangers strikers and managers.
Four goals for the Dutch champions found their way into the opposing net, but the strikes which punctured an overwhelmed Ibrox defence inside a jubilant JohanCruyff Arena are only scratches on the surface of troubling story.
It's almost unthinkable for a club of Rangers' stature to lose four times in a row. How can it be fixed is more important.
Where do you begin?
You have to hold your hands up sometimes. Money is thrown about like confetti and the glitterati of the football world joust year on year in a dazzling spectacle of football.
Many of the Rangers fans crammed into the rafters of the Amsterdam arena on Wednesday were upset by the fact that their heroes helped contribute towards it.
Sometimes Stats hit you square between the eyes like a Mohammed Kudus shot. The team that ran the show over the course of the 90 minutes was weakened after their manager and best players took off in the summer.
They covered more ground than the Scots, with 745 passes completed to Rangers. The attacking third had 17 darts compared to two for the visitors. Most of the stat that Rangers came out on top of was on blocks, shots saved or clearances, because they didn't have to do a lot of that.
There were four changes in the game by Van Bronckhorst. That tells a different tale. The ball was not sticking in the air. Rangers were vulnerable time and time again when it came back because of the sumptuous movement and patience of the team.
Steven Berghuis' shot, which took a huge hit off James Sands, could be argued as unfortunate. There were a number of factors that contributed to the goals for the swaggering Ajax side.
"We knew it was going to be difficult and it was today," Van Brockhorst said.
They want to work hard
It's going to be difficult when you are not organised in the way you should be.
The level we're used to and the level we need to reach is a big difference.
Thousands of Rangers fans swarmed to Amsterdam, a spring of optimism in the step of many as they gathered in Dam Square before the match.
The run to the final of the Europa League in May was the most important part of that hope.
On Saturday, Celtic Park was whitewashed by a score of four to nil. Fans heading home in the coming hours and days are going to be stung by the fact that there is another blow so soon after.
Ryan Jack, whose back pass gifted Ajax a fourth, said that the defeats did affect him individually and collectively.
Along with the staff, we will fight our way through it.
The slack play at the back which was prevalent in the east end of Glasgow on Saturday was followed by Rangers. Jon McLaughlin was under scrutiny on Saturday for giving Celtic a late goal, but there were many other people who contributed to their side's downfall.
Ryan Kent had one goal and three assists in the calendar year and a question mark over Alfredo Morelos. The loss of Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey has been a blow to the team. They were important in the surge to Seville.
Mark Hateley is a former Rangers player. We are expected to be competitive in the domestic and European tournaments.
With a squad that isn't as strong, you have all that.
September is shaping up to be a big month for Van Bronckhorst and his team, with a trip to Pittodrie on Saturday and a game against Napoli in Glasgow on matchday two of the European Championship.
A slip up against an Aberdeen team who look to have got their act together isn't worth thinking about for Rangers, who are five points behind in the title race. Celtic have won all of their games, scored 25 and conceded one.
When the draw for the group was made, it was suggested that there would be a three way fight for second place.
As Rangers' team bus slipped away into the dark Amsterdam night bound for the airport, they were followed by four other teams.
The dream has been to get to Europe's top table. If the nightmare of the last week is to stop, then a sobering wake-up call is needed.
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