Rangers F.C.

Template:Football club infobox Rangers Football Club is among the world's most successful football clubs and is the most successful Scottish team, based on domestic league championship wins. 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, 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. Many Rangers fans want to distance themselves from the "Old Firm" tag due to negative connotations.

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".

History

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 its first board of directors under the chairmanship of James Henderson. Rangers were well on their way to becoming Scotland's top club.

Wilton and Struth

Rangers continued their success in the early 1900s 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

Greig's tenure began promisingly. Wallace's treble-winning team of the previous season performed ably in the European Cup, defeating Juventus and PSV Eindhoven (the latter losing a game at home for the first time), before an injury-striken team lost to Cologne in the quarter final. Things began to unravel towards the end of Greig's first domestic season, however, as leadership of the league evaporated. Greig's efforts thereafter to restructure the team inherited from Wallace proved, for the most part, fruitless. The early years of the 1980s were ones of repeated frustration as the club continually failed to mount a challenge not only to Celtic, but to the then resurgent New Firm of Aberdeen and Dundee United. The gloom of under-performance in the league was punctuated only by periodic cup triumphs. The Scottish Cup win of 1981, in particular, saw a triumphant performance by the enigmatic winger, Davie Cooper. The League Cup proved fertile territory for Rangers throughout the fallow years of the early 1980s, but it was the failure to add to the league triumph of 1978 that saw the growing pressure on Greig culminate in his resignation as manager in 1983.

Return of the Jock

Rangers hoped to rekindle success by bringing Jock Wallace back to the club, following his exile in England with Leicester City. Wallace, though, was not the club's first choice: Jim McLean and Alex Ferguson, the then managers of the New Firm clubs, were said to have rebuffed Rangers' advances. Wallace, however, returned with the aim of restoring the glory years of the treble-winning sides of the late 1970s. His initial impact was positive. The team began to play with a rediscovered, no-nonsense passion that some felt Greig had jettisoned in his largely abortive efforts to make the club more competitive in Europe. Wallace's team won the league cup twice in a row in 1983 and 1984, but league form remained frustratingly indifferent. The continuing dominance of Aberdeen, coupled with a Dundee United punching substantially above its weight and a Celtic team that offered periodic challenges to the New Firm ascendancy, put Wallace under increasing pressure. By season 1985-1986 Rangers had slipped to fifth place in the league and, with little evidence of improvement since the Greig era, Wallace was sacked as manager.

The Souness Era

Graeme Souness was appointed as Rangers' first player-manager in 1986. The club's US-domiciled owner, Lawrence Marlborough, concerned at the lack of progress in the 1980s, began to take a more active interest in Rangers, wresting clear control of the boardroom after years of internecine squabbling. One of his most significant decisions was the appointment of David Holmes as the club's chairman.

It was this which foreshadowed a dramatic revival in the club's fortunes. Under Holmes's tenure, Rangers began to think big once again, showing an ambition that had been lacking since the Waddell years. Holmes's most significant act was to recruit Souness - one of world football's top players with Liverpool and Sampdoria. Souness, drawing on his preeminent reputation in the English game and backed by Holmes's approval of unprecedented transfer spending, kick-started a period in which the arrival of top players from England was a regular occurrence. In his first season at the helm, he brought the championship back to Ibrox - the first since 1978. The league cup was also captured with the defeat of Celtic, heralding a period of Old Firm dominance that was to last for the bulk of the next two decades. Rangers were on the brink of returning to greatness.

The arrival of businessman David Murray as self-styled 'custodian' of the club saw Rangers' resurgence continue. Murray's was a vision, if anything, that was even bolder than that of Holmes and Marlborough. Murray had acquired Rangers for a knock-down £6m from the increasingly cash-strapped Lawrence group. From the outset, Murray viewed Rangers as a way of cementing his already high profile in the media and in Scottish business circles. 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.

The Souness years were marked by both achievment and conflict. Under Souness's stewardship, Ranger's pre-eminence in the Scottish game was restored. At a time in which English clubs were excluded from European competition (following the Heysel stadium disaster of 1985), the club also gained arguably a higher profile in the British game than at any time in its history. This was fuelled by the purchase of a succession of English internationals, including Ray Wilkins, Terry Butcher and Chris Woods. It was also fuelled by the most controversial signing in Scottish football history, as the Roman Catholic and former Celtic player Mo Johnston was persuaded to embark on a last-minute change of mind and sign for Rangers rather than their bitter city rivals.

Despite his success, Souness was never part of the Scottish footballing establishment. His managership saw countless run-ins with the footballing authorities, and more than one touchline ban. He left Rangers in 1991 to join former club Liverpool. Coming before the league campaign reached a dramatic culmination with a last-day victory over Aberdeen at Ibrox, Souness's departure met with mixed reactions amongst Rangers supporters. All were disappointed. Many bemoaned what they saw as his betrayal of the club. All, however, were united in viewing the Souness years as amongst the most dramatic in the club's history. The challenge for his successor - his former assistant Walter Smith - was to ensure than Rangers' ninth manager would achieve as much as its eighth.

Nine in a row

Walter Smith went on to clinch the championship in 1991 following Souness's 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 remaining undefeated, went out to the French team Olympique de Marseille, subsequently found guilty of bribing opposing players to 'throw' games. Rangers 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 equalling Celtic's achievement of the late 60s and early 70s. 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 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 again qualifying for the Champions League and making 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 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 spearheaded the building of Murray Park - a £14m 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 as a result of the club's parlous 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, but also had to sell many of his treble stars, including captain Barry Ferguson who joined Blackburn Rovers. 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. Those signings helped Rangers win both the Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Premier League after a 1-0 win over Hibernian on the last game of the season.

Famous Players

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.

Past Managers

William Wilton 1899 - 1920
Bill Struth 1920 - 1954
Scott Symon 1954 - 1967
David White 1967 - 1969
William Waddell 1969 - 1972
Jock Wallace (twice) 1972 - 1978 and 1983 - 1986
John Greig 1978 - 1983
Graeme Souness 1986 - 1991
Walter Smith 1991 - 1998
Dick Advocaat 1998 - 2002
Alex McLeish 2002 - Present

Current Squad

Goalkeepers

1.	Stefan Klos
22.	Alan McGregor
25.	Ronald Waterreus

Defenders

2.	Fernando Ricksen
5.	Marvin Andrews
12.	Robert Malcolm
15.	Zurab Khizanishvili	Missing image Flag_of_Georgia.png Georgian
16.	Sotirios Kyrgiakos
18.	Michael Ball
20.	Alan Hutton
21.	Maurice Ross
35.	Brian McLean
TBD	Brahim Hemdani

Midfielders

4.	Thomas Buffel
6.	Barry Ferguson
8.	Alex Rae
11.	Gavin Rae
14.	Dragan Mladenovic
17.	Christopher Burke
26.	Peter Løvenkrands
31.	Hamed Namouchi
36.	Marco Kalenga
20.	Charlie Adam
48.	Gary McKenzie
TBD	Ian Murray

Strikers

9.	Dado Prso
10.	Nacho Novo
19.	Steven Thompson
38.	Bajram Fetai	(on loan to Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.)
42.	Robert Davidson
45.	Ross McCormack
45.	Gary McKenzie

Club Records

Record home attendance: 118,567 .v. Celtic, January, 1939

Record victory: 13-0 .v. Possilpark, Scottish Cup, October, 1877

Record league victory: 10-0 .v. Hibernian, December, 1898

Record defeat: 2-10 .v. Airdrieonians, 1886

Record league defeat: 0-6 Dumbarton, May, 1892

Record appearances: John Greig, 755, 1960-1978

Record league appearances: Sandy Archibald, 513, 1917-1934

Record Scottish Cup appearances: Alec Smith, 74

Record league cup appearances: John Greig, 121

Record European appearances: John Greig, 64

Record goalscorer: Ally McCoist, 355 goals, 1983-1998

Most goals in one season: Sam English, 44 goals, 1931/1932

Most league goals: Ally McCoist, 54 goals

Most Scottish Cup goals: Jimmy Fleming, 44 goals

Most League Cup goals: Ally McCoist, 54 goals

Most European goals: Ally McCoist, 21 goals

Most capped player: Terry Butcher, 77 caps for England

Highest transfer fee received: Giovanni Van Bronkhorst, £8.5m, Arsenal, 2001

Highest transfer fee paid: Tore André Flo, £12.5m, Chelsea, 2000

Greatest Team

The following team was voted as the greatest ever Rangers team at an awards ceremony in 1999. Thousands of Rangers fans voted.

Andy Goram (Goalkeeper)
John Greig (Defender)
Sandy Jardine (Defender)
Terry Butcher (Defender)
Richard Gough (Defender)
Jim Baxter (Midfielder)
Paul Gascoigne (Midfielder)
Davie Cooper (Midfielder)
Brian Laudrup (Midfielder)
Mark Hateley (striker)
Ally McCoist (striker)

Honours

Rangers have the all-time worldwide lead for domestic league championships, racking up their 51st title in 2005. They also share the all-time worldwide lead for domestic doubles with Northern Ireland club Linfield, with 17 as of 2004-05 and hold the record for domestic trebles, with 7 so far.

Rangers won their 100th major trophy in 2000, the first club in the world to reach that milestone.

European Cup Winners Cup 1972 (1)
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, 2005 (51)
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)
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)
Drybrough Cup 1979
Tennents' Sixes 1984, 1989

External link

Official website (http://www.rangers.co.uk/)
Fans forums (http://forum.followfollow.com/)

Football | Scottish Football Association | Scottish Football League | Scottish Premier League

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