Henry draws a blank in Glasgow. Again.

Barcelona were back in Scotland last night. Now, no one can deny that the club is a glamorous, global sporting brand, packed with star players yada yada, but these visits are becoming more and more frequent. They spent part of the summer in St Andrews, after all, enjoying the benevolent climate and golf, before friendlies against Dundee Utd and Hearts, and claim they enjoyed themselves so much they'd like to do the trip again sometime soon. Much more of this and we'll all start to get a little bored with them.

Of course, Thierry Henry was in Scotland last Autumn, too, when France got beaten 1-0 by Scotland at Hampden. And on Tuesday night, as he stepped out onto the Ibrox turf, you can't help but wonder if he was concerned he was about to have another disappointing night in Glasgow. There were Lilian Thuram and Eric Abidal alongside him, as they were that night. He will have recognised Lee McCulloch, David Weir and Barry Ferguson in blue shirts (although of a lighter hue this time), and seen the familiar figure of Walter Smith in the home dug-out. You'd like to think he briefed his team mates on what they could expect. But if he did, it didn't work.

True to form, Smith set his team out to contain and frustrate, concentrate on not conceding and try to nick a goal if possible. Just like Scotland, Rangers defended very deep, living dangerously at times as they repelled attack after attack. Again, just like Scotland, they worked their socks off, and finished with a clean sheet. If anything, Henry had fewer chances than he did against Scotland. Substituted with 10 minutes to go, he had had another frustrating night.

Rangers were unable to score themselves, but they will be justifiably happy with their efforts. Barcelona had the bulk of the possession and the most chances, but failed to convert any of them. With 7 points from their first 3 games, Rangers are looking well placed to get through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League for the second time in three years. One more win could well be enough.

This is not just important in footballing terms, it's vital for the club's finances too. Rangers are heavily in debt and, by Smith's own admission, spent over budget this summer as they tried to close the gap with Celtic. That gamble has already paid off, with the income from getting to the group stages already helping to pay off the close season investment in McCulloch, Carlos Cuellar and others.

After two bleak, trophy-less years, Rangers look like they are on the road to recovery.