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Rangers FC
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Rangers FC Information
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| Address: |
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150
Edmiston Drive, Glasgow. G51 2XD |
| Telephone: |
(0141)
5808500 |
| Fax: |
(0141)
4190600 |
| Founded: |
1873 |
| Stadium: |
Ibrox Stadium |
| Website: |
www.rangers.co.uk |
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Rangers FC History
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Rangers Football Club is among the
world's most successful football clubs and are the most
succesful Scottish team. Founded in 1873 (although the club
itself was founded in 1873, the same team was founded in 1872 -
see below), Rangers, as the club is commonly referred to as,
play at the 50,411 seat Ibrox Stadium in south west Glasgow.
Rangers play in royal blue shirts, white shorts and black and
red socks.
The present side is multinational and multiracial. The club has
traditionally been identified with the Protestant community of
Glasgow, and for most of its history it has enjoyed a fierce
rivalry with crosstown opponents Celtic, which draws much of its
support from Glasgow's Catholic community. Between them the two
clubs dominate Scottish football, and are collectively known as
The Old Firm.
The club's correct name is simply Rangers, although they are
sometimes (incorrectly) called Glasgow Rangers - often by
English commentators seeking to distinguish between them and
other similarly named clubs, particularly Queens Park Rangers.
The club is nicknamed The Gers by friend and foe alike, although
the fans are known as "Bluenoses" and "bears".
The Birth and the early days
In 1872, Moses McNeil, Tom Vallance and Peter Campbell saw a
group of men playing football on Glasgow Green's Flesher's Haugh
and decided to form a team of their own. Three of McNeil's six
brothers (Peter, William and Harry) joined him in this new
pastime and together they formed the core of the early Rangers
sides. The team's first game was in May of 1872 against
Callander F.C. on Flesher's Haugh, which resulted in a 0-0 draw.
At first they played under the name Argyle. Moses McNeil
suggested the name Rangers after seeing the name in a book about
English Rugby. Rangers only played two matches in their birth
year and their second match was a comprehensive 11-0 win over
Clyde. Rangers began to grow into a more formal football club
and in 1876, for the first time, a player was called up to play
international football as Moses McNeil made his Scotland debut
against Wales. In 1888 the now famous old firm fixture was born
as Rangers met Celtic for the first time in a friendly match
which Celtic won 5-2. By 1890 the Scottish league was formed and
Rangers enjoyed a victorious first season as they finished joint-top
with Dumbarton and after a play-off match finished 2-2, the
title was shared. Rangers had to wait until 1884 to taste their
first Scottish Cup success after losing to Vale of Leven in 1877
and 1879 but finally lifted the trophy for the first time after
a 3-1 win over Celtic. Rangers even came close to winning the
English FA Cup in 1887 when they lost to Aston Villa in the semi-final.
Rangers ended the nineteenth century with further Scottish cup
wins 1897 and 1898 and a League championship win in 1899 during
which they won every one of their 18 league matches. Rangers
formally became a business company in 1899 and match secretary
William Wilton was appointed as the clubs first manager. The
club also appointed it's first board of directors under the
chairmanship of James Henderson. Rangers were well on their way
to becoming one of Scotland's top clubs.
Wilton and Struth
Rangers continued their success in the early 1900's winning the
championship seven times between 1900 and 1918. Having lost the
title in 1919 they responded in 1920 with one of the best
seasons in their history as manager William Wilton and his right
hand man Bill Struth retained the title as they hit 106 goals in
42 league games. However, in May 1920 the clubs first ever
manager William Wilton died in a boating accident and
subsequently Bill Struth was appointed manager. Struth would go
on to be a legend as he steered Rangers to 18 league
championships, 10 Scottish Cups and 2 League Cups in his 34 year
tenure as manager. He was also the first Rangers manager to win
the domestic treble when it was achieved for the first time in
Scottish football history in season 1948-1949.
Under Scott Symon
After Bill Struth collected two more domestic doubles in 1950
and 1953 Scott Symon was appointed as Rangers third manager in
1954. Symon continued Struth's success winning six league
championships, five Scottish Cups and four League Cups. He also
became the second manager to win the domestic treble in season
1963-1964. Symon also took Rangers into the European Cup for the
first time in 1956-1957 going out on to French team OGC Nice.
They did however reach the semi-finals in 1960 losing eventually
to German team Eintracht Frankfurt. By 1961 Rangers became the
first British team to reach a European final when they contested
the Cup Winners Cup final against Italians Fiorentina only to
lose 4-1. Rangers suffered yet more despair in the final of the
same competition in losing to Bayern Munich in 1967.
Davie White
Davie White was installed as Rangers' fourth manager in 1967.
However, his tenure was a brief one and he was dismissed after
little more than two years in charge, winning nothing.
Euro glory under Waddell
Willie Waddell was appointed as Rangers manager in 1969 and he
guided Rangers to their first, and only to date, European
triumph when they won the Cup Winners Cup by beating Dynamo
Moscow 3-2 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona. The triumph came just
two years after the Ibrox disaster where 66 people died on the
east terrace on staircase 13. Within weeks of their European
success, Willie Waddell moved to the general manager position
and his coach Jock Wallace was appointed as manager.
Jock Wallace
Having been appointed as manager in their centenary year,
Wallace celebrated with a Scottish Cup win having beaten Celtic
3-2 in the final. Rangers finally broke Celtic's Scottish
football dominance in 1974-1975 by winning the league
championship which was to be the last of its kind as a new
format consisting of a Scottish Premier League was to be
introduced the following season. In the inaugural Premier League
season, Rangers not only won the league championship but also
their third domestic treble. Despite winning nothing in season
1975-1976, Rangers once again won the domestic treble the next
season. However, after a disagreement with Willie Waddell and
the board he quit in 1978 and Rangers turned to a former playing
hero and captain John Greig.
John Greig
Despite winning a Scottish cup win in 1981 and a league cup win
the following season, aided by the signing of Ally McCoist,
Greig resigned as manager in 1983 after a relatively
unsuccessful spell as manager with Celtic and Aberdeen now
dominating Scottish football.
Return of the Jock
Rangers hoped to rekindle success by bringing Jock Wallace back
to the club. He won the league cup twice in a row in 1983 and
1984 but league form was indifferent. The continuing dominance
of Celtic, Aberdeen and now Dundee United put Wallace under
increasing pressure and by season 1985-1986 Rangers had slipped
to fifth place in the league and subsequently he was sacked as
manager.
The Souness Era
Graeme Souness was appointed as Rangers' first player-manager in
1986 and it began a period of signing top players from England.
In his first season at the helm, he brought the championship
back to Ibrox and also won the league cup. Rangers were on the
brink of returning to greatness and that was aided by the
arrival of tycoon business man David Murray. In the first season
of the Souness - Murray partnership (1989), Rangers won the
first of what would eventually become nine championship wins in
a row. During his time, Souness made the most controversial
signing in Scottish football history by signing Roman Catholic
and former Celtic player Mo Johnston. Souness also signed some
top European players including Ray Wilkins and Terry Butcher.
Despite this success, Souness left Rangers in 1991 to join
former club Liverpool. Souness' assistant Walter Smith was
appointed as Rangers' ninth manager.
Nine in a row
Walter Smith went on to clinch the championship in 1991
following Souness' departure after a dramatic last day win over
title challengers Aberdeen. Smith, with the financial backing of
David Murray, continued to attract top players to the club and
in season 1991 - 1992 steered Rangers to one of the best seasons
in their history. Not only did they win the domestic treble but
they came to within one match of the European Cup final. Rangers
saw off English Premier League champions Leeds United in a
'battle of Britain' qualifier. In the group stage, Rangers won
two matches and drew four but, despite not losing a single game,
went out to French team Olympique de Marseille. They won the
double the following season but missed out on a back-to-back
domestic treble after losing in the Scottish Cup final to Dundee
United. Rangers again won the championship in seasons 1994-1995
and 1995-1996 with the help of signings such as Brian Laudrup
and Paul Gascoigne. In season 1996-1997 Rangers went on to win
their ninth championship in a row thereby equalizing Celtic's
achievement of the late 60's and early 70's. Season 1997-1998
proved to be Walter Smith's last season as manager and Rangers
were unable to win their tenth league championship in a row.
Smith left Rangers and joined English Premiership team Everton.
Many players also left Rangers including Brian Laudrup, Ally
McCoist and captain Richard Gough.
The Little General
Dick Advocaat, nicknamed the little general, succeeded Walter
Smith at the start of season 1998-1999. Advocaat, former manager
of PSV, was Rangers' tenth ever manager and their first
non-Scottish manager. Many players left Rangers after Walter
Smith's departure and Advocaat made several signings including
Arthur Numan, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Andrei Kanchelskis.
In total Advocaat spent over £36 million on new players in his
debut season. However, he did not disappoint on the pitch as he
led Rangers to a domestic treble. The following season Advocaat
continued to spend big bringing the likes of Michael Mols and
Claudio Reyna to Ibrox. In his second season he led Rangers to
the domestic double and led them into the Champions League for
the first time having beaten Parma in a qualifier. However, the
arrival of Martin O'Neill at rivals Celtic halted Rangers'
dominance and, despite yet again qualifying for the Champions
League and major signings such as Tore André Flo and Ronald de
Boer, the club did not win a major competition in the 2000-2001
season. Having made a poor start to season 2001-2002 Advocaat
resigned as manager and took up a General Manager position which
he would later leave after only 11 months. Alex McLeish was the
relatively surprising appointment as the new Rangers manager in
December 2002. During Advocaat's tenure at Ibrox, it had been
realised that with the club deep in financial difficulty they
would be unable to continue signing top European players and
instead focused on producing their own players. As a result,
Advocaat spear-headed the building of Murray Park - a £12m
training complex. His popularity plummeted however, as his
expensive purchases failed to deliver on the pitch.
Under Big Eck
Under Alex McLeish Rangers won both the Scottish cup and league
cup in his first season. Despite not being able to sign any new
players due to the clubs financial position, he lifted the
domestic treble in his second season at Ibrox. However, for
season 2003-2004 he was not only unable to sign many new players
he also had to sell many of his treble stars including captain
Barry Ferguson who joined Blackburn Rovers and as a result of
many of these players leaving the trophy cabinet was left empty.
McLeish signed several players for season 2004 - 2005 including
Dado Prso, Nacho Novo and Jean-Alain Boumsong. Boumsong would
later leave the club in January 2005 to English Premiership side
Newcastle United for £8m. That however paved the way for more
signings including Thomas Buffel and the return of former
captain Barry Ferguson, who had failed to settle at Blackburn
Rovers and indeed suffered a serious injury that had forced him
to miss many months of competitive action.
Famous present or former players at Ibrox include: Derek
Johnstone, Alan Morton, Sam English,David Meiklejohn, Robert
Smith McColl, Willie Waddell, Colin Stein, Jock Shaw, Paul
Gascoigne, Terry Butcher, Graeme Souness, Davie Cooper, Ally
McCoist, Mark Hateley, Brian Laudrup, Claudio Reyna, Arthur
Numan, Lorenzo Amoruso, Rodney Wallace, Fernando Ricksen, Jim
Baxter, Ray Wilkins, Richard Gough, Andy Goram, Barry Ferguson,
William 'Sandy' Jardine and Jean-Alain Boumsong. |
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Rangers FC Honours, Trophies & Awards
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European Cup Winners Cup:
1972 (1)
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Scottish League Champions:
1891, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1911, 1912,
1913, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1925,
1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934,
1935, 1937, 1939, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1953,
1956, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1975,
1976, 1978, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992,
1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000,
2003 (50)
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Scottish Cup Winners:
1894, 1897, 1898, 1903, 1928, 1930, 1932,
1934, 1935, 1936, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1953,
1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976,
1978, 1979, 1981, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999,
2000, 2002, 2003 (31)
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Scottish League Cup Winners:
1946, 1948, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1970,
1975, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986,
1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998,
2002, 2003, 2005 (24)
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Drybrough Cup:
1979
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