Sir David Murray, the Rangers chairman, yesterday promised to take “severe action” against those supporters who disgraced the club and Scottish football amid the anarchic scenes that followed Wednesday’s Uefa Cup final in Manchester.

Murray, who has spent two years along with Martin Bain, the chief executive, trying to improve the image of Rangers, said that the club would consider all the available evidence in trying to root out the trouble-makers.

Rangers confirmed last night that further life-bans were about to be issued at Ibrox.

“Since Wednesday night the club has worked non-stop analysing the disturbances which occurred in Manchester,” Murray said. “We deplore the actions of a small minority who were involved in the disturbances and support the severest action being taken against them. We are continuing to liaise with the police and will be analysing all the relevant information over the coming days.”

Rangers said that anyone who has appeared in court and been convicted over the Manchester disturbances could consider themselves “banned from any further recognised involvement with the club”.

Meanwhile, Walter Smith has urged his players to put Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat to Zenit St Petersburg behind them as the team strive to stay on course for the domestic treble. Rangers face Motherwell at Fir Park today, then St Mirren at Love Street on Monday and Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Thursday night — the last game less than 48 hours before facing Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup final.

“Obviously we suffered a disappointment the other night but that has got to be firmly put in the background, although it’s not easy,” Smith said. “The players will have a real test of their characters over the next week, and it will be as big a test as they have had in their professional careers.

“They are going into three must-win league games and then a Scottish Cup final less than 48 hours after their last league match. It is going to be an enormous test for everybody.

“In the end, our players are the ones who have to handle the situation. The motivation is to try to finish off what we started. And we have to show that we can handle circumstances that few teams have had to handle to get where we are.”

Smith said the time had been and gone for arguing about the fixtures schedule. The Rangers manager has always profoundly disagreed with the SPL decision about the schedule, but now his team has to get on with it.

“We face three away matches as well, which are unusual circumstances in the last spell of the season,” he said. “We just have to handle it. We have handled a lot this season and I think there will be that determination to do well in the last games, regardless of the disappointment we faced on Wednesday night in Manchester.

“Once you are within the distance of winning the championship, there are always little bits of nerves and tension involved, and these will be there over the next three games. But, hopefully, it will turn out OK for us.”