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Revision as of 10:54, 7 February 2005 by 212.23.24.94 (talk) (→History)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Football club| Full name | Rangers Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Gers | ||
| Founded | 1873 | ||
| Ground | Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Capacity | 50,411 | ||
| Chairman | David Murray | ||
| Manager | Alex McLeish | ||
| League | Scottish Premier League | ||
| 2003-04 | Scottish Premier League, 2nd | ||
| |||
Rangers Football Club is among the world's most successful football clubs. Founded in 1873 (although the club itself was founded in 1873, the same team was founded in 1872 - see below), Rangers 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.
History
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 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.
Identified with the city's Protestant community, the club is commonly believed to have broken with tradition by signing a prominent Scottish (and Celtic-supporting) Roman Catholic player Maurice "Mo" Johnston in 1989.However, this is an urban myth and there were others before him, most notably John Spencer. The present side is multinational and multiracial, and religion is no longer an issue with the club. For most of its history it has enjoyed a fierce rivalry with crosstown opponents Celtic, which in contrast 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" or "Bears".
In 1972, Rangers won the European Cup Winners Cup, beating Dynamo Moscow by a score of 3-2 in Barcelona. Rangers have won a world record 50 domestic championships, the most recent coming in 2003.
During the 1990s the club was controlled by metals tycoon David Murray, who invested heavily in the ground and in buying expensive playing talent. Rangers won the Scottish League championship nine years in a row, from 1989 to 1997, and generally dominated Scottish football during that period. The club was criticised during this time, as some felt the amount spent on foreign players detracted from investment in developing home-grown players, although the creation of their training facility, "Murray Park", has led to steps being taken to correct this. The resurgence of rivals Celtic in the late 1990s has seen Rangers face a revival of significant opposition. Both teams are believed to harbour ambitions to play with leading English clubs in a lucrative "superleague", rather in the (somewhat anaemic) Scottish Premier League.
Famous present or former players at Ibrox include: Alan Morton, David Meiklejohn, Robert Smith McColl, Willie Waddell, Jock Shaw, Paul Gascoigne, Terry Butcher, Graeme Souness, 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.
Rangers and sectarianism
A great deal controversy surrounds the so called 'Old Firm', which are the two big Glasgow football teams, Rangers, and their archenemies Celtic F.C..
In particular, Rangers has been accused of being a Protestant side, and many of its fans' chants are indeed sectarian, in particular 'We are the Billy Boys', which is normally taken to refer to William of Orange, hero of the Orange Order, but also a notorious Glasgow Blackshirt of the mid-20th century. Paul Gascoigne ('Gazza'), the English footballer also stoked up controversy when after scoring a goal for them, he mimed playing the flute, a reference to Orange Walks. Crowds of Rangers' fans frequently fly flags from Northern Ireland and England, as well as Loyalist insignias.
In 1999 controversial lawyer, Donald Findlay, attended a celebratory function in Ibrox Park, his team's ground. There Findlay, Scotland's top defence lawyer, was captured on video leading the singing of sectarian anti-Catholic songs. The Daily Record newspaper led with the news in its Monday June 1, 1999 edition and Findlay quickly resigned as Rangers' vice-chair.
However, despite this, some Roman Catholics have played for Rangers.
External websites -
Past Managers
- William Walton 1899 - 1920
- Bill Struth 1920 - 1954
- Scott Symon 1954 - 1967
- David White 1967 - 1969
- William Waddel 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 | German |
|---|---|---|
| 22. | Alan McGregor | 
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| 25. | Ronald Waterreus | Dutch |
| 30. | Greame Smith |
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Defenders
| 2. | Fernando Ricksen | Dutch |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | Marvin Andrews | Trinidadian |
| 12. | Robert Malcolm |
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| 15. | Zurab Khizanishvili | Georgian |
| 16. | Sotiris Kyrgiakos | Greek |
| 18. | Michael Ball | English |
| 20. | Alan Hutton |
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| 21. | Maurice Ross |
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| 24. | Gregory Vignal | 
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Midfielders
| 4. | Thomas Buffel | Belgian |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | Barry Ferguson |
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| 8. | Alex Rae |
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| 11. | Gavin Rae |
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| 14. | Dragan Mladenovic | Serbian |
| 17. | Christopher Burke |
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| 23. | Bojan Djordjic | Swedish |
| 26. | Peter Løvenkrands | Danish |
| 31. | Hamed Namouchi | Tunisian |
| 35. | Brian McLean |
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| 36. | Marc Kalenga |
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| 20. | Charles Adam |
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| 48. | Gary McKenzie |
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Strikers
| 7. | Shota Arveladze | Georgian |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | Dado Prso | Croatian |
| 10. | Nacho Novo | Spanish |
| 19. | Steven Thompson |
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| 38. | Bajiram Fetai | Danish |
| 39. | Tom Brighton |
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| 42. | Robert Davidson |
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| 45. | Ross McCormack |
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| 45. | Gary McKenzie |
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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: 1-7 .v. Celtic, League Cup Final, October, 1957
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 Andre 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 Hately (striker)
- Ally McCoist (striker)
Honours
Rangers have the all-time worldwide lead for domestic league championships, racking up their 50th title in 2003. They also share the all-time worldwide lead for domestic doubles with Northern Ireland club Linfield, with 17 as of 2004-05.
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 (50)
- 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 (23)
- Drybrough Cup 1979
See also
- Category:Rangers F.C. - Other articles on Rangers F.C.
- Category:Rangers F.C. footballers - Footballers who have played for Rangers F.C.
External link
| Scottish Premier League (1998–2013) | |
|---|---|
| « Scottish Football League Premier Division (1975–98) Scottish Premiership (2013– ) » | |
| Former teams | |
| Seasons | |