The logic goes something like this: Edinburgh reached the last quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup, collecting some notable scalps on the way and picking off the under-performing English and Welsh sides. We are just as good as them, there is never much in any game we play and we won the last encounter. So if they can do it, so can we.
"It gives us something to aspire to," Andy says in todays Times. "If Edinburgh can do it, there is no reason why we cannot. Seeing them go well and get some memorable results was something that we can take encouragement from, now we have to try to emulate it. If they can, we can."
But Andy knows it's going to take a big improvement on their Celtic League form for Glasgow to make an impact in Europe: "You definitely notice the step up," Andy observed. "It is a much harder competition to play in but these two first games, against Northampton and Toulouse on Friday, should be brilliant, really good. It is good to get into Europe and have a go at these teams, a tough group but all of them are."