AT Ibrox last night, they welcomed El-Hadji Diouf like he had been there for years.

As the teams were read out ahead of Rangers' clash with Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League the biggest cheer was not for David Weir, their inspirational skipper, or for Steven Davis, last season's Scottish PFA player of the year.

It was for Diouf, the man most love to hate.

The on-loan Blackburn Rovers attacker was perhaps on to a good thing from the start.

For all the wrong reasons, he was already an enemy of Rangers' fierce rivals Celtic. A spitting incident in a UEFA Cup tie with Liverpool in 2003 saw to that.

But Diouf's popularity continues to grow. There was the decision to dye his hair blue - displayed prominently on the front page of yesterday's Daily Record - and an encouraging start on the field, including a feisty role in his Old Firm debut two weeks ago.

Last night Diouf, playing more centrally than he often did at Rovers - just off lone striker Kyle Lafferty - showed the qualities that could still be missed at Ewood Park.

As Rangers gained the upper hand over Sporting, on an evening when they should have come away with a 1-0 win at the very least, he was at the heart of most of their good play.

Fans chanted his name with glee, and protested fiercely as Diouf - not for the first time, it must be said - was booked for going to ground a little too easily for a referee's liking. A new Ibrox hero appears to have been born.

In contrast, Lafferty toiled away but looked ill at ease and missed key chances late on, failing to endear himself to the home support.

"Useless," was the phrase heard coming from the lips of many on the streets back to Glasgow city centre after the final whistle. Often preceded by a selection of somewhat more choice phrases.

Lafferty has struggled to live up to the £3m fee Rangers paid Burnley three years ago, and Glasgow can be an unforgiving place.

For Diouf, though, in one half of the city at least, his popularity is soaring.

How the other half responds to his return to Parkhead on Sunday remains to be seen.