The Glasgow Rangers A - Z E-Book

Rob Mason

• Herausgeber: G2 Rights
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

This new updated and enlarged Rangers A-Z ties in with Steven Gerrard's side storming to the SPL title in magnificent style, being unbeaten and maintaining a 100% home record at the time the trophy was secured in 2021. It was Rangers 55th league title, adding to 33 Scottish Cups, 27 Scottish League Cups, the European Cup Winners' Cup and an English FA Cup semi-final for good measure! Alfredo Morelos, Allan McGregor, Ryan Kent and Stevie G himself are all here along with legendary figures such as Slim Jim Baxter, John Greig, Ally McCoist, Sandy Jardine and Davie Cooper. This Rangers A-Z supplies you with an at a glance guide to the Gers. It will take you from the story of the four young boys who decided to form Rangers in 1872 to the centenary celebration of European triumph, right up to the modern day. The 150th year of this finest of clubs sees them start their commemorative year not only as title holders but as the club who have been league champions more than any club in world football! Whether you an Ibrox expert or just learning about this most successful of clubs, The Rangers A-Z is a wonderfully nostalgic read for all Gers' fans.

Leseprobe

ADVOCAAT

Born in the Hague on 27 September 1947, Dick Advocaat had a largely uneventful career as a player, but made his mark later as a coach, commencing at amateur side DVSP.

After two spells assisting the Dutch national team, he was appointed national coach in 1992 and guided the side to the World Cup finals in 1994, where they reached the quarter-finals before being beaten by Brazil.

Upon returning to Holland, Dick took over at PSV Eindhoven and enjoyed four success-laden years and ended Ajax’s period of domination of the domestic game. In June 1998, he was appointed manager of Rangers, replacing Walter Smith.

Dick’s appointment was seen by many as an attempt by Rangers to translate their domestic success into European competition, for despite having competed in the European Champions Cup for ten of the previous eleven campaigns, they had only once made any real impact. Dick’s reputation as one of the Europe’s top coaches was expected to change all of that.

CELEBRATIONS AFTER BEATING CELTIC 1-0 TO LIFT THE 1999 SCOTTISH FA CUP

A treble in his first season in charge proved that it was business as usual on the domestic front, even though Rangers slid out of the UEFA Cup in the third round. The following season saw Rangers clinch the double and, in their return to the European Champions League, record home and away victories over PSV Eindhoven, even though they were unable to progress beyond the group stage and went out of the UEFA Cup on penalties in the third round.

The 2000-01 season was a disappointing one that finished barren trophy-wise and Rangers fifteen points adrift of their greatest rivals Celtic at the top of the Premier League. After qualifying for the Champions League that season, Rangers made an impressive start, winning their opening two matches, but only two further points were secured and Rangers were eliminated, also losing their UEFA Cup tie with FC Kaiserslautern.

In December 2001, Dick Advocaat stepped down as manager of the club, to be replaced by Alex McLeish, but remained at Ibrox as director of football. Six months later, he left the club entirely and returned to Holland to take over as national coach for a second time, guiding them to the semi-finals of the 2004 European Championships. He later had a spell coaching at club level in Germany before returning to the international stage, taking over as South Korean coach and taking them to the 2006 World Cup finals.

From June 2006 to 2009 he successfully managed Zenit St. Petersburg taking them to the Russian Premier League title and also managing them against Rangers in the 2008 UEFA Cup final. After lifting that trophy, Advocaat’s Russians then added the UEFA Super Cup by beating Manchester United.

He then managed the national sides of Belgium, Russia, Serbia and had a third spell in charge of the Netherlands. These moves into international football were interspersed with spells with AZ (twice), PSV again, Sunderland, Fenerbahce, Sparta Rotterdam, Utrecht and Feyenoord where he was still in charge at the age of 73 in 2021.

ALBERTZ

Born in Mönchengladbach on 29 January 1971, Jorg was a youth and apprentice player with PSV Mönchengladbach and Borussia Mönchengladbach before signing his first professional contract with Fortuna Dusseldorf in 1990.

JORG CELEBRATES WINNING THE 2000 SCOTTISH CUP AFTER BEATING ABERDEEN 4-0

ALBERTZ SCORES AGAINST CELTIC AT IBROX, MARCH 2000

Following the club’s relegation to Division Two of the Bundesliga, Jorg was sold to SV Hamburg where he made his reputation, earning the nickname ‘The Hammer’ in recognition of his long-range shooting abilities and becoming club captain after two years.

In 1996, Walter Smith paid £4 million to bring the relatively unknown German to Ibrox Park, but he soon had the crowd on his side, especially after a stunning free-kick against Celtic in January 1997 that proved to be the catalyst to Rangers securing the League title for the ninth time in a row.

Whilst Jorg had been a virtual ever-present whilst Walter Smith was manager, the arrival of Dick Advocaat saw Jorg slip down the pecking order, and whilst he would ultimately collect medals for winning the championship in 1997, 1999 and 2000, it was plain that he was not part of Advocaat’s long-term plans.

A £3.5 million fee took him back to SV Hamburg in 2001, having netted 82 goals for the Light Blues during his time with the club.

ATTENDANCES

Rangers’ best attendances at Ibrox Stadium in each of the major competitions.

COMPETITION

OPPONENTS

DATE

ATTENDANCE

Scottish League

Celtic

01/01/1939

118,730

Scottish FA Cup

Hibernian

10/02/1951

102,342

Scottish League Cup

Celtic

16/10/1948

105,000

Europe

St Etienne

04/09/1957

85,000

AC Milan

27/11/1957

85,000

Leeds United

26/03/1968

85,000

BAXTER

Although Jim Baxter was a childhood Rangers fan, he began his career with Raith Rovers on a part-time basis whilst working as first a carpenter and then a collier. It was his abilities on the field, however, that attracted interest from bigger clubs, with Rangers enabling him to fulfil his childhood dream when they paid £17,500 in June 1960.

Jim was just 20 years of age at the time (he was born in Hill o’ Beath in Fife on 29 September 1939) but marched straight into the first team, helping Rangers win the Scottish League and League Cup double at the end of his first season. There were to be a further two League titles, two League Cups and three victories in the Scottish FA Cup during the five years Jim was at Ibrox, a time when he was acknowledged as one of the most skilful players in the game. And yet the general consensus was that Jim’s talent was largely allowed to go to waste, with his disinterest in training, tactics, discipline and just about everything else that goes to make a great player, all too often apparent.

JIM AND DENIS LAW PRACTICING BEFORE SCOTLAND’S 1964 FIXTURE AGAINST IRELAND

On his day, on the field, he could be breathtaking, none more so than his performance in the darker blue shirt of Scotland in 1963 against England, when he inspired ten-man Scotland (his Rangers teammate Eric Caldow suffered a broken leg) to a 2-1 victory, scoring both goals, the first from the penalty spot with the first penalty he had ever taken in his life.

Unfortunately, most of his days off the field were spent drinking, womanising and gambling, with his condition suffering as a result. He was sold to Sunderland in 1965 as former Rangers stalwart and Scotland manager Ian McColl paid £72,500 for him. At Roker Park he dazzled with his skill, but disappointed with his application. Baxter believed in the ball doing the work, but not himself. Nottingham Forest then made him their first £100,000 player in December 1967, but he returned to Rangers in 1969, not even a shadow of his former self and retired from the game to become a publican.

JIM SENDS GORDON BANKS THE WRONG WAY FROM THE SPOT AT WEMBLEY 1963

Jim was later asked if the sums modern players were earning would have made any difference to his lifestyle, to which he replied ‘Definitely. I’d have spent £50,000 a week at the bookies instead of £100’.

And yet Jim is still fondly remembered, both by those who follow Rangers, who claim he was the most skilful left-half the club ever had, and by those who follow the national side, who bombarded the poll organised by Radio Five Live with nominations to get the new Wembley footbridge named after him!

Jim Baxter, who won 34 caps for his country, died from cancer after a long battle on 14 April 2001.

BUTCHER

Born in Singapore on 28 December 1958, Terry was brought up in Suffolk and was spotted by Ipswich Town playing youth football in Lowestoft. Signed by the club in August 1976, he helped them win the UEFA Cup in 1981 and was first capped by England in 1980.

By 1986 he was widely regarded as the best centre-half in England and was the subject of intense transfer speculation, finally joining Graeme Souness’ Ibrox revolution for £725,000 in August 1986.

Alongside fellow English recruits Chris Woods and Graham Roberts, Terry galvanised a Rangers side that had lived in their rival Celtic’s shadow for too long, helping them win the Scottish League in 1987, 1989 and 1990 and the Scottish League Cup in three successive seasons, 1987, 1988 and 1989.

By the time of the 1990 World Cup, he was acknowledged as one of the best centre-backs in the world, a reputation he enhanced during the tournament, captaining the side to the semi finals in the enforced absence of Bryan Robson.

A few months later the end came to his Rangers career, Terry losing out after an argument with manager Graeme Souness and being sold to Coventry City in 1990 where he became player manager, as he later did at Sunderland before finishing his playing career with Clydebank.

As manager of Motherwell, his side gifted the 2004-05 League Championship to Rangers by beating Celtic on the final day. He went on to manage Sydney, Brentford, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Hibernian, Newport County and finally the Philippines, having also had a caretaker spell at Partick Thistle.

BOYD

Released by Rangers as a boyhood full-back, Tarbolton-born Boyd cost the Gers half a million pounds on New Year’s Day 2006, after making his name as a striker with Kilmarnock.

A debut hat-trick showed Kris intended to make up for lost time, and by the end of the season he was Rangers’ top-scorer as well as Killie’s, the first man to be top scorer at two clubs in the same season.

He went on to do the domestic cup double in 2007-08, the double of SPL and Scottish Cup the following season and SPL and League Cup a year later. For the first of those trophies, Kris contributed both goals in a 2-2 League Cup final draw with Dundee United before scoring the decisive spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out. He then scored two of the goals as Queen of the South were seen off 3-2 in the Scottish Cup final.

31 goals in 2008-09 saw him top-scorer as the league and cup were won and the following season he bagged five in a 7-1 demolition of Dundee United, before later that term adding another against the same team to register his 100th league goal for the Gers.

Top scorer again a year later as League and League Cup were won, Boyd went on to play in England, Turkey and the United States with Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Eskisehirspor and Portland Timbers before coming back to Scotland, initially with Kilmarnock prior to returning to Rangers in the summer of 2014.

CELEBRATIONS AFTER WINNING THE 2010 SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE

After a season at Ibrox, he moved back to Killie where in 2017-18, he was again top-scorer in the SPL. Boyd also scored seven times in winning 18 caps for Scotland.

CAIRNS

Born in Merryton on 30 October 1890, Tommy Cairns would go on to be a vital member of the Rangers side either side of the First World War, but for some reason only won six full caps for Scotland, a meagre figure given his worth to his club.

Tommy had begun his career in junior football with Burnbank Athletic and Larkhall Thistle before being lured south of the border to sign for Bristol City in 1911, but after only eleven appearances returned to Scotland to sign for Peebles Rovers.

He then had a brief spell with St Johnstone before finally being spotted by Rangers and joined the lbrox outfit in November 1913, almost immediately ensconced as first choice inside-left, a position he was to hold for the next 13 years.

Tommy’s time at Ibrox was rewarded with championship medals in 1918, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1924 and 1925, although he was unable to pick up a winners’ medal in the Scottish Cup, having to settle for the runners-up variety in 1921 and 1922. All six of Tommy’s international caps were awarded whilst he was associated with Rangers, the first coming in 1920, by which time he had formed an extremely effective left-wing partnership for both club and country with Alex Morton. Tommy remained at Ibrox until 1927, having made over 400 League appearances for the club, and returned to England to play for Bradford City, making 135 appearances for the Bantams before retiring in 1932. He later served Arsenal as their chief scout in Scotland before his death in 1967.

TOMMY WITH THE RANGERS TEAM, BACK ROW, THIRD FROM LEFT

CALDOW

Born in Cumnock on 14 May 1934, Eric Caldow was fortunate enough to play in two great Rangers sides, at either end of his Ibrox career. Although Eric began his association with the club at the age of 14, he was sent out to Muirkirk Juniors in order to develop his talent and was eventually recalled to Ibrox at the age of 18.

The following season he made his debut in the League Cup win over Ayr United and would go on to make eight appearances for the club that term. In 1954-55, he made eleven League appearances and thereafter was a first-team regular, going on to collect championship medals in 1956, 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1963.

Initially used as a right-back, Eric was later successfully converted to left-back, but it did not matter where he played, his speed, both in thought and deed, were sufficient to enable him to get the better of almost any opponent. Eric was just as regular a player for Scotland, collecting his first cap in May 1957 against Spain and going on to collect 40, before a serious leg break brought his international career to an end. It almost did for his club career too, for Eric struggled back into the side and made just three appearances during the 1963-64 season. He recovered sufficiently to make 26 League appearances the following term, but it was in the League Cup that he enjoyed his finest moments that season, winning a third winners’ medal in that competition to go with two in the Scottish Cup.

ERIC CALDOW AND JOHNNY HAYNES LEAD OUT THEIR TEAMS FOR THE 1961 ENGLAND V SCOTLAND CLASH AT WEMBLEY

A JUBILANT RANGERS TEAM LEAD BY ERIC CALDOW AFTER BEATING HEARTS 3-1 IN THE LEAGUE CUP FINAL

After 407 appearances for Rangers he left at the end of the 1965-66 season spending a year with Stirling Albion before becoming player/manager of Corby Town and subsequently managing Stranraer from 1973 to 1975 after a spell in charge of Ayrshire Junior club Hurlford United. Eric was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2007 and passed away at the age of 84 in March 2019.

COOPER

Born in Hamilton on 25 February 1956, Davie began his professional career with Clydebank and proved an instant success, helping the club win successive promotions and a place in the Premier League by the end of the 1976-77 season.

His performances on the wing for Clydebank had not gone unnoticed by either the international selectors or scouts from bigger clubs, for he was drafted into the Scottish squad for the Home International Championships and summer tour of South America and became the subject of intense transfer speculation. It eventually cost Rangers £100,000 to secure his signature in June 1977, but it proved to be money well spent as Davie ended his first season at Ibrox having helped the club win the domestic treble.

Although Celtic finished the following term Champions, Rangers retained both cups, with Davie seemingly reserving his most effective performances for the cup campaigns.