History of Rangers F.C.

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Rangers F.C. has a long and illustrious history. Formed in 1872, Rangers were the first club in the world to win more than 50 league titles. Rangers are the most honoured football club in the world having won 111 trophies in total. Despite being formed 134 years ago Rangers have only ever been managed by twelve different men.

This article tells the story of the club from its rather humble beginnings to the European Cup Winners Cup success, the Ibrox disasters and the Nine in a Row league championship wins. The history is divided, for ease, into sections regarding the manager of the club rather than sections of major events. There are of course overlaps between managers tenures, namely the Nine in a Row success which was started by Graeme Souness and continued under Walter Smith.

Contents 1 Formation and early years 2 The Wilton years 3 Struth's era 4 Under Symon 5 White takes charge 6 European success and national tragedy 7 Jock Wallace becomes manager 8 Greig: Captain to Manager 9 Return of Wallace 10 The Souness Revolution 11 Nine in a Row 11.1 Souness years 11.2 Smith's tenure 12 The Little General 13 Financial hangover under McLeish 14 The False Dawn 15 Walter Smith's return 16 References 17 External links

[edit] Formation and early years

In 1872, the club was formed by a group of rowing enthusiasts, Peter Campbell, William McBeath and brothers, Peter and Moses McNeil saw a group of men playing football on Glasgow Green's Flesher's Haugh.

Indeed the team's first game was at Flesher's Haugh in May 1872 against Callander Football Club, which resulted in a 0–0 draw. 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, with the team donned in light blue shirts, was a comprehensive 11–0 win over a team named Clyde (not the present 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. Celtic beat Rangers 5–2. Rangers to a team composed largely of "guest players" from Hibernian.

The 1890–91 season saw the inception of the Scottish Football League, and Rangers were one of ten original members. By this time Rangers were playing at the first Ibrox Stadium. Rangers' first ever league match took place on 16 August 1890 and resulted in a 5–2 victory over Heart of Midlothian. After finishing equal-top with Dumbarton a play-off was held at Cathkin Park to decide the who would be champions. The match finished 2–2 and the title was shared for the only time in its history, the first of Rangers' world record 52 championships.^[1]

Rangers had to wait until 1894 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 limited company on 27 May 1899 and the then match secretary William Wilton was appointed as the clubs first manager. This also enabled Ibrox stadium to be constructed that same year. The club also appointed its first board of directors under the chairmanship of James Henderson. By the turn of the century Rangers had won two league titles and three Scottish Cups and were well on their way to becoming one of Scotland's top clubs.

[edit] The Wilton years

Rangers were in the ascendant at the turn of the century, winning the championship seven times between 1900 and 1918 (with four League title in a row). The season of 1898–99 was particularly memorable, in that it saw the Gers win all 18 league games to establish a perfect record.

But between 1902 and 1910, Celtic took over as the dominant force, and though Rangers had the chance to foil a third League and Cup double in 1909, the Scottish FA withheld the Cup due to disgraceful scenes after a pitch invasion by a drunken fans. The Hampden Riot had written itself a sorry page in the history books, and both clubs were ordered to compensate hosts Queen's Park for the damage caused by their so - called fans.

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 netting 106 goals in 42 league games. However, in May 1920 the clubs first ever manager, William Wilton, died in a boating accident and Bill Struth was subsequently appointed manager.

[edit] Struth's era

The key statistic of the 1930s was three consecutive Scottish Cup wins from 1934, 1935, 1936. History was there to be made in 1937 when they set out on the trail of a fourth win, only to lose in the First round to lowly Queen of the South. Ironically, this was the first Rangers game ever to be immortalised on film.

The post-war seasons saw Rangers well on top, but not before a boardroom coup in the summer of 1947. The board of Rangers had previously been an amateur body made up of former player, but when chairman James Bowie suggested a 71-year-old Struth retire in order to allow a younger man to take charge, a revolution occurred. Bowie was forced out the chair and was said never to have sent foot in Ibrox ever again such was his disdain for the circumstances of his departure.

Struth went on to steer 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 1948–49, the success based on the so called Iron Curtain' defence which remained virtually unchanged from 1946 to 1953.

After Bill Struth collected two more domestic doubles in 1950 and 1953, Scot Symon was appointed as Rangers third manager on 15 June 1954.

[edit] Under Symon

Symon continued Struth's success winning six league championships, five Scottish Cups and four League Cups. also became the second manager to win the domestic treble in season 1963–64. Another purple patch began at the end of the 1950s: from 1957 until 1965. Rangers achieved four League titles, plus an equal number of wins in both League and FA Cups. This was the era of Slim Jim Baxter, a superb ballplayer who was by turns exhilarating and exasperating.

But though Baxter was to depart for England in 1965, there was a player who had been a first - team regular for the past couple of seasons who would mature into an inspirational leader, a stalwart in the dark blue of Scotland and would eventually manage the club. John Greig was that man, and though Rangers would play out the decade in the shadow of their European Cup - winning neighbours, the foundations were being laid for future success.

In season 1956–57 Symon took Rangers into the European Cup for the first time but it ended abruptly, going out on to French team Nice. The following season however saw Rangers suffer their worst ever defeat to their arch rivals Celtic, losing 7–1 in the League Cup final of 1957. They did however reach the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1960 losing eventually to German club Eintracht Frankfurt by a record aggregate 12–4 for a Scottish team. In 1961 Rangers became the first British team to reach a European final when they contested the Cup Winners' Cup final against Italian side Fiorentina, only to lose 4–1 on aggregate. Rangers suffered yet more despair in the final of the same competition in 1967, losing 1–0 after extra time to Bayern Munich.

After these disappointments, the pressure was on Symon and he paid the penalty of Celtic's success in Scotland and Europe in October 1967, giving way to his former assistant Davie White after rejecting a move to make him general manager with White in charge of team affairs.

[edit] White takes charge

David White was installed as Rangers' fourth manager in November 1967. He had initially come to Rangers as assistant to manager Symon as part of a grooming process, giving him time to learn the ropes and take over when he was ready. However, it didn't turn out that way and the responsibility came too early. White was on his own and in charge after just five months at the club.

The decision was a mistake and the price White paid was to have the misfortune to be the first Rangers manager not to win a major trophy. The lack of honours during White's reign at Ibrox, however, masks the fact that he did improve the team during a difficult period. Celtic, under Jock Stein, were at the peak of their success and White, as Rangers' first track suit manager working on the pitch with the players every day, did not fail through any lack of tactical knowledge.

In his first season as Rangers' fourth manager, the team suffered only one defeat - 3–2 at home to Aberdeen in the final game. Yet Rangers finished runners-up in the league to Celtic. The team also reached the 1969 Scottish Cup Final, only to lose out to their Old Firm rivals again by 4–0.

In Europe, White's team enjoyed two good runs in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in successive years. In 1967–68, Rangers reached the quarter-finals, losing to Leeds United 2–0 on aggregate. The following season they went one better and got to the semi-finals where they again went down 2–0 on aggregate, this time to Newcastle United.

The good showing in Europe did not continue though, and when White completely under-estimated Polish side Górnik Zabrze, he was removed as manager. White's side had lost 3–1 in Poland and when the return leg at Ibrox began, he was promising to, "attack, attack, attack!" in order to progress. The second-leg result ended in a 3–1 home defeat for the Gers. The next day, 27 November 1969, White's assisant Willie Thornton took over as caretaker and the club began to look for a new manager.

[edit] European success and national tragedy

William Waddell, a former player who had made himself a name both in journalism and as the manager of Kilmarnock's championship-winning side of 1964–65, was appointed as Rangers manager on 8 December the same year. In 1972 he guided Rangers to their first, and to date only, European triumph when they defeated Dynamo Moscow 3–2 in the Cup Winners' Cup final at the Camp Nou in Barcelona. Due to a pitch invasion at the end of the match, the team were presented with the trophy in the dressing room. Following pressure exerted by the Spanish Government of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, UEFA banned Rangers from defending the cup^[2] This was perceived by some as a disproportionate and politically-motivated decision, as evidenced by Barcelona's decision to invite Rangers to participate in their pre-season Trofeo Joan Gamper tournament (named after the club's founder) in 1974, alongside the Basque team Athletic Club de Bilbao. The triumph in the European Cup Winners' Cup came less than two years after the Ibrox disaster, when 66 people died leaving the east terrace at staircase 13. Within weeks of their European success, Waddell moved to the general manager position and his coach Jock Wallace was appointed as manager.

[edit] Jock Wallace becomes manager

Wallace's managership of Rangers saw the club achieve a period of sustained success. His first season as manager - the club's centenary year - culminated in a 3–2 Scottish Cup win over Celtic. A nine-year period of Celtic dominance in the league was ended in 1974–1975 as Rangers captured what was to be the last championship of its kind. The new ten-team Scottish Premier League saw Rangers crowned inaugural champions, as part of a triumphant domestic treble. After a barren subsequent season, 1976–1977, Wallace presided over the club's fourth domestic treble in 1977–1978.

This burst of success from the mid-1970s saw Rangers once again established as Scotland's most successful club. In 1978 Wallace, suddenly and unexpectedly, announced his resignation while refusing to divulge the reason for his departure. In his wake, Rangers turned to another of the stalwarts of the great side of the mid-to-late 1970s, the captain John Greig.

[edit] Greig: Captain to Manager

With the departure of Jock Wallace in the summer of 1978, the board acted quickly to replace the void with the club captain Greig being promoted to manager. Greig took a phone call on the day of Wallace's resignation from from then general manager William Waddell. Greig was playing golf with Sandy Jardine when Waddell called him to offer Greig the managers position.

Greig's tenure began promisingly. The 1978-79 season could so easily have mirrored the previous. Despite a fixture pile-up which resulted from the club playing three league games in nearly three months, and some overly negative tactics from Greig, Rangers came close to winning a quadruple of trophies. Unfortunately it was not to be and the season ended with just the domestic cup double.

Wallace's treble-winning team of the previous season performed ably in the European Cup. Rangers eliminated Juventus after defeating the Italians 2–1 on aggregate - the first time Rangers had ever recovered from a first-leg defeat to win a two-legged European tie. Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, the then UEFA Cup holders, were overcome in the next round (the club's first home defeat in European competition), before an injury-stricken Rangers side lost to Cologne at the quarter-final stage.

The early season league form was terrible as the team failed to win any of the first six league matches but a run was put together. Things began to unravel, however, as leadership of the league evaporated. The team had to settle for second place behind champions Celtic. The pivotal match was a 4-2 Old Firm defeat a Parkhead. There was success for Greig in the national cup competitions. Victory in the 1979 Scottish Cup Final over Hibernian required a second replay to separate the sides before Rangers eventually won 3-2. The 1979 Scottish League Cup Final ended in a 2-1 win for Rangers over a strong Aberdeen with goals from Alex MacDonald and Colin Jackson.

The following the season finished trophyless. Rangers finished an embarrassing fifth in the league, eleven points behind champions Aberdeen. The main cause for such a poor showing in the league was pointed at the teams away form, only ten points from eighteen matches. Aberdeen also knocked Rangers out of the Scottish League Cup over a two-legged third round tie. Rangers did reach the 1980 Scottish Cup Final only to lose out to Old Firm rivals Celtic, 1-0 thanks to a deflected George McCluskey shot in extra time. The European Cup Winner's Cup campaign was ended by the eventual winners Valencia CF after having seen off Lilliestrom and Fortuna Dusseldorf in previous rounds.

The summer of 1980 saw Greig bring in Jim Bett from Lokeren for £150,000. Bett was joined by Colin McAdam a £165,000 signing from Partick Thistle. The side got off to a good start in the league, going on a fifteen match unbeaten run, including two Old Firm wins, was to end in November. A disastrous run in November and December all but ended the title challenge as the team finished third, twelve points behind champions Celtic. The League Cup campaign was halted after a controversial deafeat to Aberdeen in a match where the Dons were awarded two contentious penalties. Due to having no European participation, Rangers entered the Anglo-Scottish Cup which led to humiliation and embarrassment at the hands of English minnows, Chesterfield. The third division side held Rangers to a 1-1 draw at Ibrox before thumping Rangers 3-0 in the away leg at Saltergate. Rangers did win the 1981 Scottish Cup Final after beating Dundee United 4-1 in a final replay. After a tedious 0-0 draw where Ian Redford missed a last minute penalty, Rangers won the replay with goals from Davie Cooper, a John MacDonald double and Bobby Russell.

Greig's fourth season in charge, 1981-82, ended yet again without the league championship. Rangers finished third, twelve points behind Old Firm rivals Celtic who were champions. There was an apparent lack of ambition at the club due a lack of transfer funds which were being directed towards the redevelopment of Ibrox Park. There was the surpirse signing of Northern Ireland international John McClelland from Mansfield Town. The Ulsterman proved to be a shrewd acquisition and later became the club captain. European participation was halted by Dukla Prague who soundedly beat the team 3-0 in Prague and a 2-1 second leg win for Rangers was not enough for the team to progress. The domestic cup competitions proveded successful ground as Rangers reached both finals. The team lost the 1982 Scottish Cup Final 4-1 to Aberdeen despite leading for the majority of the match. A late Aberdeen equaliser took the game into extra-time before the Dons added a trio. Rangers did win the 1982 Scottish League Cup Final by defeating Dundee United 2-1 with goals from Davie Cooper and Ian Redford.

Greig made big-money signings in the pre-season 1982-83 with renewed hope that they could at least mount a serious title challenge, but once again, the season ended in trophyless failure. Dave MacKinnon - £30,000 from Partick Thistle, Craig Paterson - £200,000 from Hibernian, Robert Prytz from Malmö FF and Sandy Clark from West Ham United, were all welcomed to the club.

The early signs were positive. Rangers reached the 1983 Scottish League Cup Final scoring en route 29 goals in there ten games and eliminated Borussia Dortmund from the UEFA Cup. The opening eight league games saw the side unbeaten but the final match saw Rangers lying in fourth, a massive eighteen points behind champions Dundee United. The team was knocked out of Europe after suffering a 5-0 defeat from Cologne. The 1983 Scottish Cup Final was lost to an Aberdeen side that had won the European Cup Winner's Cup ten days earlier.

As the 1983-84 would signal the end of John Greig’s managerial career. The league season began badly, one point from the first four league games, although the team did win there six League Cup games under Greig. A fruitful brief run in the European Cup Winner's Cup saw Rangers win the second round, first leg 2-1 over FC Porto after the team's record breaking 18-0 aggregate win over Maltese champions Valletta. After the first nine league games, Greig's team had collected just ten points from twenty-seven. In the ende the pressure was to much and Greig resigned from his post on 28th October 1983.

Greig's efforts 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 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 October 1983. During this period attendances at Ibrox dwindled from an average 25,628 in season 1978–79 to 17,681 in 1982–83.^[3]

[edit] Return of Wallace

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, both rebuffed Rangers' advances^[4] McLean's brother Tommy was appointed caretaker manager and four games passed before a permanent manager was in position.

On 10 November 1983, Jock Wallace was persuaded by the Rangers board to leve Motherwell and return to the club. His aim was to restore the glory years of the treble-winning sides of the late 1970s. Wallace's initial impact was positive, boosting morale and fitness. He made changes to the coaching staff, bringing in Alex Totten as first team coach with Tommy McLean, David Provan and Joe Mason leaving. Wallace also added to the squad during the season, Bobby Williamson arrived from Clydebank, Nicky Walker from old club Motherwell and Stuart Munro from Alloa Athletic.

Wallace's first match in command was at Pittodrie on November 12 1983. The game ended in a 3-0 defeat but the side went on a 22 match unbeaten run in all competitions until March 1984. Yet, Rangers still ended that season fourth in the league, fifteen points behind champions Aberdeen. The club did win a trophy, the 1984 Scottish League Cup. It was a thrilling extra time victory over Celtic, with Ally McCoist getting a hat-tick, in a 3-2 win that won them the cup.

The 1984–85 season, Wallace's first full season in charge since his return, was almost a carbon copy of its predecessor. Rangers again finished fourth in the league by a massive twenty-one point record behind champions Aberdeen. This disappointment was not caused due to a lack of investment in the playing squad. A total of £495,000 was spent bringing in Iain Ferguson and Cammy Fraser from Dundee, Ted McMinn from Queen of the South and bringing back Derek Johnstone from Chelsea. The club won the Scottish League Cup for he second season in a row meeting Dundee United in the final. A solitary Iain Ferguson strike gave Rangers a 1-0 win.

A resonable start was made to Wallace's second full season in charge. Five wins out of six matches in the league plus a further two wins in the League Cup. But things quickly began to sour as a fall out between manager and then club captain, John McClelland saw the latter stripped of the captaincy. McClelland was later sold to Watford for £265,000 in November 1985. The teams form was to suffer and by the turn of the year Rangers were in third position. From 1 January 1986, the side won only a quarter of the remaining sixteen league fixtures. With no hope of a trophy, after defeats in the Scottish Cup third round and the League Cup semi final, things looked bleak for the club.

Wallace's team might have won the League Cup twice in a row, but the league form remained indifferent. The continuing dominance of the great Aberdeen side of the 1980s, coupled with a Dundee United and Celtic team that offered periodic challenges to Aberdeen's ascendancy, put Wallace under increasing pressure. By the 1985–86 season Rangers had slipped to fifth place in the league and, with little evidence of improvement since the Greig era, it was inevitable that Wallace would be removed as manager.

So perhaps it came as no surprise that on 7 April 1986, Jock Wallace resigned as manager of the club. He was to jump before being pushed by the then newly appointed Rangers chairman David Holmes. Holmes had gone on record saying that the slump the club was in could not be allowed to go on. However, the search for Wallace's replacement was over before it began.

[edit] The Souness Revolution

In April 1986, Graeme Souness was appointed as Rangers' first player-manager by chairman David Holmes. Souness had previously been playing in Italy with U.C. Sampdoria and made the move to Glasgow for a £300,000 fee. This was the first of many big money transfer deals to be made at Rangers. Although the first deal Souness was involved in was with his backroom staff. He brought in Walter Smith, from Dundee United as his assistant and ex-Coventry City manager Don Mackay as reserve-team coach.

Souness' first flurry into the transfer market resulted in a £175,000 purchase, Colin West. He was not the most well known of players and did not have a great spell in Glasgow. The investment made in West was small compared to that made in other members of the playing staff. Souness was taking advantage of the European competition ban imposed by UEFA on English clubs after the Heysel Stadium Disaster. Thanks to this and a sizeable tansfer kitty, he was able to attract the cream of English sides talent.^[5] The first of many international players arrived in the shape of Chris Woods, followed by the likes of England deputy captain Terry Butcher and former Manchester United defender Jimmy Nichol.

The 1986–87 season would be the first time in eight seasons that Rangers finished top of the Scottish Premier Division. But the season began eventfully with player-manager Souness being sent off in the first league match of the season on August 9, 1986. A violent foul on Hibernian's George McCluskey meant Souness had to watch the 2-1 defeat from the stands. But forty-three matches; thirty-one wins, seven draws and five defeats later Rangers were the champions. The league crown was not Souness' first Rangers trophy however, a 2-1 win over Celtic gave them a 1986 Scottish League Cup Final win. He also won the Glasgow Cup thanks to an Ally McCoist hat-trick.

That same season, goalkeeper Chris Woods set the then British football shut out record of 1196 minutes. From November 26 1986, when he conceded a goal in a UEFA Cup 1-1 draw with Borussia Moenchengladbach, until 14 games later on January 30 1987 when Adrian Sprott of Hamilton Academical knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup by a single goal.

The following season Rangers could not build on the success of the previous. Despite the arrival's of Trevor Francis, Ray Wilkins, Mark Walters, Mark Falco, John Brown and Richard Gough, who became Scotland's first £1 million player. The title defence began badly, three points from the first ten, that added with injuries and suspensions meant the club finished third, twelve points behind champions Celtic. The League Cup Final victory was the only bright spark that season, although there was a decent run the the European Cup with Dynamo Kiev and David White's foes Górnik Zabrze as scalps. A final against Aberdeen saw Rangers win 5-3 on penalties after drawing 3-3. The Scottish Cup ended in the fourth round at the hands of Dunfermline Athletic.

[edit] Nine in a Row

[edit] Souness years

The 1988-89 season was to start what would be one of the most successful spells of Rangers history. When Souness' side regained the League championship by a margin of six points from second placed Aberdeen, few could predict that would been the first of many. The club had again invested heavily in the playing staff. Again the club imported som of the best players from English sides, Gary Stevens from Everton and Kevin Drinkell from Norwich City.

A pre-season spent in Italy was the perfect build up to the new season. The team were unbeaten in all competitions in August and September, including a 5-1 mauling of Celtic at Ibrox. The initiative gained was never really lost and Rangers collected fifty six points from thirty six games, twenty six of which were victories. The League Cup was again at Ibrox as the side again beat a determined Aberdeen team. The final came just a fortnight after the sides met in the league, Rangers lost 2-1 in the Granite City but the game will be remember for a dreadful tackle. Aberdeen's Neil Simpson inflicted a terrible tackle on Rangers midfielder Ian Durrant which would leave the later with a knee injury for over three years. But for a 1-0 defeat to Celtic in the 1986 Scottish Cup Final, the treble would have rested at Ibrox that season.

The arrival of businessman David Murray in 1988 continued the Rangers' resurgence continue. Murray had acquired Rangers for £6 million from the club's then owner, the Nevada based Lawrence Marlborough on 23 November 1988. History could have been very different however, had he not been rejected by home town club Ayr United. Murray officially became chairman on 2 June 1989, replacing David Holmes.

He retained the ambitious strategy he had inherited from Holmes. This was demonstrated on July 10, 1989 when Rangers, acting on Souness' say so, purchased former Celtic striker Mo Johnston from French club Nantes for £1.5 million. The fact Rangers signed an ex-Celtic player would have been a big enough story but the fact Johnston was a high-profile Roman Catholic made the move unprecedented. The transfer angered both sides of the Old Firm's support, Rangers because Johnston was an ex-Celt and Catholic (Rangers traditionally did not sign Catholic's), and Celtic fans saw Johnston as a turncoat who had already committed to re-join Celtic from Nantes before Rangers made known their interest.

When the season began, Rangers did not. Three matches played in the league, no wins and two defeats. The team slowly got into gear, despite only two wins from the first eight games. New arrival, Johnston, netted the crucial winner during an Old Firm game on November 4, 1989. Scoring the goal in the dying minutes of the match meant Johnston was all but forgiven by the Rangers support. Come May 1990, Rangers name was on the trophy for the second time in as many seasons. The club again failed to win the Scottish Cup, losing to Celtic in the fourth round, and for once did not win the League Cup. The side lost to Aberdeen by 2-1 in the final.

The 1990-91 season would be Souness's last season in charge. On 16 April 1991, the fiery Scot departed for former club Liverpool before the league campaign reached its dramatic culmination, saying he had "gone as far as he would be allowed to go". A last-day victory over Aberdeen at Ibrox gave Rangers Three in a Row. Souness assisant Walter Smith was in charge that day. Before his departure Souness had made sure to fall out with and sell on club captain Terry Butcher and spend big money on striker Mark Hateley, winger Pieter Huistra and forgotten man Oleg Kuznetsov. Sadly for Souness though he was never to win a Scottish Cup with Rangers as the team went down 2-0 to Celtic at Parkhead, for the second season in a row. The 1990 Scottish League Cup Final ended in another victory however.

The Souness years were marked by both achievement and conflict. Under Souness's stewardship, Rangers' pre-eminence in the Scottish game was restored. At a time in which English clubs were excluded from European competition, 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 controversial signing of Roman Catholic and former Celtic player Mo Johnston, who was persuaded to change his mind at the last minute and sign for Rangers rather than their bitter city rivals. Johnston's signing led to outrage from some fans of the traditionally Protestant club as he became the first high-profile Catholic to sign for Rangers in modern times.

Despite his success, Souness was never part of the Scottish footballing establishment. His managership saw countless run-ins with the footballing authorities. He was sent off in his debut and suffered more than one touchline ban. Souness's departure met with mixed reactions amongst Rangers supporters. Many were disappointed, some bemoaned what they saw as his betrayal of the club, all however, were united in viewing the Souness revoultion as amongst the most dramatic period in Rangers history.

[edit] Smith's tenure

The ninth manager of Rangers was to be a man who had previously worked as assisant to the eighth. Walter Smith was appointed manager on 19 April 1991, a day before a crucial Scottish Premier Division match away to St Mirren. Smith guided the side to a 1-0 win and followed that with a similar result at home to Dundee United before a devastating 3-0 loss away to Motherwell. One last supreme effort was required it the club was to claim its third title in succession. The final league game of the season was at home to title challengers Aberdeen. A draw was all the Dons needed and they would be champions, Rangers won 2-0. A Mark Hateley brace in front of a 37,652-strong Ibrox crowd gave Rangers the Scottish Premier Division championship and broke Aberdeen's hearts.

In his first full season in charge, Smith began to make changes. He brought in Archie Knox as his assistant and altered the playing personnel. Smith moved on Trevor Steven for a massive fee of £5.58 million to Olympique Marseille. Also leaving were Chris Woods, Mo Johnston, Mark Walters to Sheffield Wednesday, Everton and Liverpool respectively. Smith, with the financial backing of Murray, signed Andy Goram, Alexei Mikhailichenko, Stuart McCall, David Robertson and the perhaps less successful pair of Dale Gordon and Paul Rideout.

A fourth successive championship was secured that season, for the first time in over sixty years. Rangers topped the Division with a total of seventy-two points, nine ahead of second-placed Hearts. The side scored one hundred and one goals and also won nineteen of thier twenty-two away fixtures. The success continued into the Scottish Cup as Rangers won the 1992 final beating Airdrieonians 2-1, the first time in eleven years.

The 1992–93 season was arguably one of the most successful in the club's history and the best European campaign since 1972. Not only did the team win the domestic treble but they also came to within one match of the European Cup final. Rangers saw off English First Division champions Leeds United in a tie dubbed the Battle of Britain. Then, in the group stage, Rangers won two matches and drew four but, despite remaining undefeated, went out to the French team Olympique de Marseille, who were later found guilty of match fixing. No foul play was found with regards to the Rangers matches however.

Rangers won the double the following season but missed out on a back-to-back domestic treble after losing in the 1994 Scottish Cup Final to Dundee United. It was a classic giant killing act. United had had a fairly moderate season, winning only eleven of their forty-four league matches. It was United's seventh appearance in a Scottish Cup final, having lost all six of their previous encounters. A forty-seventh Craig Brewster goal gave Dundee United a 1-0 win after a sloppy back pass by Dave McPherson. It was a strange end to a very successful domestic season for Rangers.

The 1994–95 season saw Rangers make two big money signings, Basile Boli and Brian Laudrup, for £2.7 million and £2.4 million respectively. The latter proved to be an absolute bargain. Laudrup became a firm fans favourite during his four year spell with Rangers and was even elected to the Rangers Hall of Fame. Boli on the other hand lasted just one season. The French defender completely failed to adapt to the rigours of the Scottish game.

Despite the failure of a rather expensive footballer, Rangers continued to rack up the league titles. The sixth consecutive championship won in style. The club sat top of the Scottish Premier Division on sixty-nine points, a whole fifteen points ahead of second placed Motherwell. Yet both domestic cup competitions ended before the last eight and the failure to reached the UEFA Champions League group stage, meant that to many, the season was almost regarded as a failure.

Rangers won the championship in season 1995–96 with the help of one Paul Gascoigne. The Englishman was signed 10 July 1995 from Italian side Lazio. He made an instant impact at Rangers, running almost the length of the pitch to score in an Old Firm match at Celtic Park, during the fifth league game of the season. His brillance with the ball at his feet was equalled only by his sense of humour. On 30 December 1995, in a match against Hibernian, Gascoigne 'booked' referee Dougie Smith. Smith had dropped his yellow card and Gascoigne picked it up and showed it to the official, before returning it. Smith was not amused and booked Gascoigne.

Rangers went on to win the league, clinching the title in the penultimate game of the season against Aberdeen. After Rangers went 1-0 down in the early stages, Gascoigne went on to score a hat-trick to give the club a 3-1 victory and the eighty championship. Joining the league crown in the Ibrox trophy cabinet was the 1996 Scottish Cup which Rangers won after a 5-1 defeat of Hearts. A hat-trick from Gordon Durie and a Brian Laudrup double won Rangers there 27th Scottish Cup win.

In season 1996–97 Rangers went on to win their ninth championship in a row thereby equalling Celtic's achievement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the cup competitions, they were knocked out of the Scottish Cup at the quarter-finals stage, losing 2–0 to Celtic. But the team won the Scottish League Cup, defeating Hearts 4–3. The European campaign proved to be a disaster. Although the team qualified for the UEFA Champions League after a fine aggregate win over Russian champions Alania Vladikavkaz, they only recorded three points from their six group matches.

The season 1997–98 proved to be Walter Smith's last season as manager and Rangers were unable to win their tenth league championship in a row. The early season form of new signing Marco Negri gave the team fresh imputous but when the manager Smith announced that he would leave the club at the end of the season the team's form dipped. The side finished the league on 72 points, two behind champions Celtic after taking the title race to the last day of the season.

The club ended the season trophyless for the first time in twelve seasons as they lost the Scottish Cup final to Hearts 2–1 and were knocked out League Cup in the quarter finals by Dundee United. In Europe, the club failed to reach the Champions League group stages and fell at the first hurdle in the UEFA Cup, losing both legs 2–1 to RC Strasbourg. Smith left Rangers and joined Premier League club Everton. Many players from the Nine in a Row era left Rangers including Brian Laudrup, Ally McCoist, Ian Durrant, Stuart McCall and captain Richard Gough.

[edit] The Little General

Dick Advocaat, nicknamed the Little General, succeeded Walter Smith on 1 June 1998. Advocaat, former manager of PSV Eindhoven, was only Rangers' tenth manager and the first non-Scot to hold the position. His appointment was viewed by some as reflecting a desire to begin to challenge Europe's elite clubs. David Murray, the club's owner and chairman, had long proclaimed that Rangers ought to be judged not just in relation to success in Scotland, but on performance in Europe, and especially in the UEFA Champions League. But despite being given resources on a scale never before handed to a Rangers manager, success on a larger stage failed to materialise, and the costly legacy of Advocaat's time at Ibrox was a debt that would cripple the club for years.

The scale of these resources made available to Advocaat initially confirmed that the Rangers management was thinking in bold, European terms. Confronted with a rump of players remaining after Smith's departure, Advocaat was furnished with an unprecedented transfer budget over the coming seasons. In total Advocaat spent over £36 million on new players in his debut season. Some - the Dutch internationals Arthur Numan and Giovanni van Bronckhorst - were successful; others - Andrei Kanchelskis, Bert Konterman - proved ineffectual.

But while Advocaat's record in transfer dealings remained mixed throughout his time at Ibrox, at first the club appeared to be beginning to deliver in playing terms, both in Scotland and (less predictably) Europe. Advocaat's first season saw another domestic treble secured. Performance in Europe was promising, with Bayer Leverkusen defeated in a solid, if unspectacular, UEFA Cup run. In the following season, Advocaat continued to spend big, bringing the likes of Michael Mols and Claudio Reyna to Ibrox. A domestic double was secured in Advocaat's second season. In Europe, too, there were signs of greatly improved performance in the Champions League, as Parma were defeated en route to qualification for the group stages of the competition.

Rangers entered Advocaat's third season emboldened by the capture of five of the six domestic trophies available in his first two years. However, while the club again qualified for the Champions League group stage, performances in the league began rapidly to disintegrate. Further high-profile signings - Tore André Flo for a club record £12 million, and the Dutch internationalist Ronald de Boer on a lavish contract - could not reverse the decline. Morale amongst players and supporters plummeted amidst credible rumours of players unrest and dressing room divides. A worsening financial position exacerbated the gathering gloom. The club failed to win a major competition in the 2000–01 season, as Celtic swept the domestic board. Having continued in similar fashion in 2001–02, and with Martin O'Neill's Celtic side once more running away with the championship, Advocaat resigned as manager and took up a general manager position, which he would leave after only 11 months. Alex McLeish was the surprising appointment as the new Rangers manager in December 2001.

Advocaat's tenure at Ibrox had been a paradoxical one. On one hand, Advocaat spearheaded the building of Murray Park - a £14m training complex at Auchenhowie which was viewed as essential if the club was to compete with its European peers in nurturing home-gown talent and developing players. On the other hand, Advocaat's man-management was subject to criticism,^{[citation needed]} and some argued that he had squandered a real opportunity to establish Rangers as consistent European competitors. With the club deep in financial difficulty, there was no realistic prospect of boosting its fortunes through further expensive player acquisitions. The challenge of restoring the club to supremacy in Scotland looked to be an unenviable one for Alex McLeish.

[edit] Financial hangover under McLeish

Murray appointed ex-Aberdeen defender Alex McLeish as the clubs eleventh manager on 11 December 2001, joining McLeish was assistant Andy Watson.^[6] Murray's choice of manager was met with a lukewarm reaction amongst many Rangers supporters. Many fans viewed it as symptomatic of the downsizing of the club's ambitions, while others saw in McLeish a manager whose mixed fortunes at Hibernian and Motherwell left him ill-equipped to cope with the demands of managing a high-profile club like Rangers. However, McLeish was the number one managerial target on a four man shortlist. Others said to be included on the list were the then Ipswich Town manager George Burley, former Germany coach Berti Vogts and George Graham.^[7]

Fans concerns were quickly allayed as McLeish's Rangers team began to display a spirit that had been sorely lacking in the twlight of Advocaat's reign. A Scottish Cup and League Cup double in McLeish's first half-season, 2001–02, saw a renewed sense of optimism that Rangers could regain the ascendancy claimed by Celtic under the managership of Martin O'Neill. A dramatic 3–2 defeat of Celtic in the 2002 Scottish Cup Final^[8], orchestrated by Barry Ferguson and marked by a dramatic Peter Lovenkrands last minute winner, was the perfect end to a disappointing season.

In McLeish´s first full season as manager, 2002–03, the club won its seventh Treble. The Scottish Premier League was won after an astonishingly tense run-in. Rangers' half-century of championships was secured on a dramatic last day of the league season, with victory over Dunfermline Athletic, denying Celtic the title on goal difference. The destination of the title was unknown until the dying seconds of this match as both teams had headed into the game level on points and goal difference. Only a last-minute penalty by Mikel Arteta clinched the win^[9].

A victory over Celtic in the 2003 Scottish League Cup Final in March 2003, provided the first leg of the club's latest treble.^[10] A somewhat drab and anti-climactic 1–0 victory over Dundee in the 2003 Scottish Cup Final the following May saw a triumphant finalé to the season. ^[11] It was a near-flawless start to McLeish's reign, ruined only by a poor showing in Europe, which Rangers exited in the first round to minnows Viktoria Žižkov.

The following season, McLeish's initial period as manager proved difficult to sustain. The club's perilous financial position in the wake of the profligacy of the Advocaat era, meant a period of relative austerity. The wage bill had to be slashed as the club embarked on an extensive cost-cutting programme in an attempt to stabilise a mushrooming and unsustainable level of debt. Confronted with a squad of well-paid but ageing players assembled by Advocaat, McLeish was compelled to rebuild without the luxury of the generous transfer kitty enjoyed by some of his predecessors. McLeish was to lose from his treble winning squad, the inspirational if mistake-prone defender Lorenzo Amoruso, Scottish international winger Neil McCann and, most damagingly of all, club captain Barry Ferguson. In their place McLeish was required to rebuild, not through the high-profile and often audacious signings of the Souness, Smith and Advocaat years, but by wheeling and dealing and the selective use of Bosman free transfers.

After a good start to the 2003-04 season which saw the side top of the league and qualify for UEFA Champions League (after an another dramatic late goal this time in Denmark against FC Copenhagen), the loss of Ferguson shortly afterwards led to a dramatic downturn in results and ultimately a trophyless campaign. McLeish's Bosman signings of experienced players, such as the Brazilian midfielder Emerson, Norway forward Egil Østenstad and, most damaging of all, the £600,000 signing Nuno Capucho, have since entered Ibrox folklore as some of the worst players to play for Rangers.

The 2004-05 season started in the same vein, with McLeish making another poor signing in Serbian midfielder, Dragan Mladenovic, for £1m. The Serb would manage less than ten games for the club. On the pitch, the team again fell behind Celtic in the league and exited the Champions League at the qualifying stage. It was rumoured that failure to gain entry into the new UEFA Cup group stage would see McLeish lose his job, but another late goal and a penalty shoot out win over CS Marítimo of Portugal provided him with a stay of execution.

After this, his fortunes began to turn again. Mladenovic aside, McLeish had made some canny signings in the summer, such as Nacho Novo, plus the Bosmans Dado Pršo, Jean-Alain Boumsong along with midfielder Alex Rae. Once these players settled in, the team began to recover ground on O'Neill's ageing Celtic side. Boumsong, in particular, was a great success but he was to be sold in January 2005, after only six months at the club, to English Premiership side Newcastle United (managed by former boss Graeme Souness) for £8m. This cash paved the way for more signings, including Thomas Buffel, Sotirios Kyrgiakos and the return of former captain Barry Ferguson.

The 2005 Scottish League Cup Final in March 2005 ended a 5–1 victory over Motherwell ^[12]. The league, however, appeared to have been lost. Despite catching and overtaking Celtic (with two Old Firm wins, including a pivotal 2–0 victory at Celtic Park in what was McLeish's first win there as Rangers manager) nerves seemed to get the better of Rangers. A loss to Celtic in the last derby of the season at Ibrox, handed a five-point lead to their rivals with only four games of remaining, and seemed to end hopes of the title. However, Rangers kept winnings way and a 3–1 Celtic home loss to Hibernian meant only two points separated the sides going into the final game of the season. Rangers needed to win at Hibernian and hope that Celtic would drop points at Fir Park. In perhaps even more dramatic circumstances than two years previously ^[13], Motherwell overcame a 1–0 deficit with two goals in injury time from Scot McDonald to defeat the Parkhead side, while Rangers edged out a tight 1–0 win at Easter Road. For 89 minutes of the match, Rangers thought their rivals were set for the title, and once news broke of Motherwell's late intervention, ecstasy awaited for the Ibrox legions. Even the helicopter that was carrying the league trophy was on its way to Motherwell so it had to turn around and fly to Edinburgh. That day has passed into Ibrox folklore, becoming known as 'Helicopter Sunday'. McLeish could celebrate his second, and Rangers' 51st, league title.

The 2005–06 season got off to a bad start, with Rangers only winning six league games out of the first 17, being knocked out of the League Cup by Celtic in the process. The period from October through to early December saw the team embark on, statistically, the worst run in their history, going ten games without a win. During this time, however, the club became the first Scottish side to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, yet there was still significant pressure on McLeish from fans due to the club's poor position in the domestic league table. It was widely felt that chairman David Murray would let McLeish go after the European campaign had finished, and a press conference arranged two days after the final group match seemed to confirm this.

However, Murray seemed to undergo a change of heart and stated that McLeish would remain in charge indefinitely ^[14], but did concede that domestic results would need to improve. After this announcement, the team improved, helped by the signing from Kilmarnock of Kris Boyd. The side strung together a ten-match unbeaten run. Yet, entering the crucial month of February, which was to feature a must-win Old Firm match and the resumption of European football, this evaporated. Rangers lost 3–0 at home to Hibernian on 4 February to exit the Scottish Cup and end their last realistic hopes of silverware that season. Protests against McLeish and the chairman followed the game. (more about that season)~****************

Overall, McLeish's four-and-a-half-year spell at Ibrox was a turbulent one, coming as it did after the wastefulness of the Advocaat era. McLeish never enjoyed access to the funds his predecessors had been given, and his managership was marked by wildly-fluctuating fortunes, in part caused by forced asset stripping of his best players due to the spectre of debt from Advocaat's spending. The lack of money certainly played its part in McLeish's downfall but it is debatable, based on the money he did have to spend, whether greater sums would have been invested wisely. Indeed there is an argument that a good proportion of McLeish's signings have been among the worst in the club's entire history. At a time when Scottish talent was apparently beginning to re-emerge, it strange that McLeish failed to make more of an effort to raid the Scottish market. However, McLeish did sign the likes of Nacho Novo, Marvin Andrews, Ian Murray from other Scottish teams and all three had varied degrees of success. History will look back on McLeish's reign, not as **************

[edit] The False Dawn

After signs that supporter unrest was turning on Murray, on 9 February 2006, two days before the crucial Old Firm match, it was announced that McLeish would leave his position as manager at the end of the 2005–06 season ^[15], and on 11 March, it was confirmed that former Lyon manager Paul Le Guen would succeed him at the end of the season ^[16]. Murray predicted a fruitful reign under Le Guen, describing his capture as "a massive moonbeam of success" for the club and promising, "we’ve got big plans."^[17] He announced that the Frenchman would be given significant funds with which to strengthen the squad, with Rangers having announced an arrangement with sports retailer JJB Sports.

Le Guen was well known for unearthing and nurturing young talent and made an immediate splash in the transfer market. He signed a young South African player Dean Furman from Chelsea, and French youngsters William Stanger and Antoine Ponroy from Rennes. He allowed more experienced players to leave, Alex Rae, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Peter Løvenkrands and Ronald Waterreus.

Le Guen also signed highly rated pair Libor Sionko and Karl Svensson; unfortunately both players never fulfilled their full potential. Rangers had been strongly linked with a host of players and signed midfielder Jeremy Clement from Lyon and goalkeeper Lionel Letizi from Paris St Germain as a replacement for the departing Waterreus. Senegal's World Cup 2002 midfielder Makhtar N'Diaye signed a one-year contract after a successful trial period.

Rangers' first match under Le Guen was a friendly against Irish Premier League champions Linfield on 6 July 2006 at Windsor Park, Belfast. The side won 2–0 with first half goals from Kris Boyd and Thomas Buffel. The squad then flew out to South Africa on 9 July for a training camp where they were to play three matches, but defender Fernando Ricksen did not take any part in the tour of South Africa due to what was described by the club as "unacceptable behaviour" on the flight to Johannesburg.^[18] He return to Scotland and was subsquently loaned to Zenit St Petersburg on 9 August. Ricksen never played for the club again as his loan spell in Russia was made permanent.

The Scottish Premier League season opened on 30 July with Le Guen taking his Rangers side to Fir Park where they defeated Motherwell 2–1.^[19]. In Le Guen's first competitive game at Ibrox, Rangers were held to a 2–2 draw by Dundee United, and were forced to come back from 2 goals down.^[20]

On 11 August Rangers signed Manchester United's then 19 year old winger Lee Martin on loan for a season.^[21] Rangers also recruited the services of Austrian Vienna defender Saša Papac while Marvin Andrews, Olivier Bernard, Robert Malcolm and Hamed Namouchi all departed.

By mid November, Rangers found themselves in third place, a full fifteen points behind leaders Celtic. Sporadic wins were mixed with regular dropped points as the team struggled to find consistency in the early part of the season. Rangers did, however, start promisingly in the UEFA Cup, going on to become the first Scottish club to qualify from the UEFA Cup group stage in its three year history. Domestic results and performances, however, continued to be inconsistent and in January 2007, Le Guen controversially stripped midfielder Barry Ferguson of the captaincy^[22]

On 4 January 2007, Le Guen left Rangers by mutual consent.^[23] This made him the club's shortest-serving manager, and the only one to leave the club without completing a full season in charge. Later that year, sports journalist Graham Spiers published a book which speculated Le Guen left the club because he was being "undermined" by other Rangers personnel. Those named were Ferguson and the then club doctor, Ian McGuinness.^[24]

[edit] Walter Smith's return

Following the departure of Paul Le Guen, a number of media sources reported an "understanding" that the new management structure would consist of former Rangers manager Walter Smith and former player Ally McCoist, and the SFA confirmed that Rangers enquired about the availability of the pair.^[25] However, on 8 January, the SFA rebuffed Rangers' approach for Smith.^[26]

On 10 January 2007 it was announced that Walter Smith was the new manager of Rangers, with Ally McCoist confirmed as assistant manager and Kenny McDowall as first team coach^[27]. Smith and his team undertook some serious surgery to the side. He signed experienced defenders David Weir, Ugo Ehiogu and Andy Webster to sure up rocky backline. This proved too be a steadying influence on the team and they only lost three times until the end of the season. Although Webster injured himself during his first training session at the club and did not make his debut until September 2007.

The following summer Smith made ten signings, including defender Carlos Cuellar and midfielder Lee McCulloch. The early season priority, qualification for the Champions League group stage was secured after aggregate victories over the champions of the Montenegrin and Serbian leagues, FK Zeta and Red Star Belgrade respectively. Rangers were drawn in Group E, to play FC Barcelona, French champions Olympique Lyonnais and German champions VfB Stuttgart. The campaign started well for Rangers with two victories, 2–1 at home to Stuttgart and 3–0 against Lyon at the Stade Gerland as well as a 0–0 draw against Barcelona at Ibrox Stadium. They lost match day six against Olympique Lyonnais 3–0 which ended their UEFA Champions League 2007–08 run. But the adventure continued as they progressed to the final of the UEFA Cup, defeating Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, Sporting Lisbon and Fiorentina along the way. They beat Italian side Fiorentina on penalties to set up a final against Zenit St. Petersburg who are managed by former Gers manager Dick Advocaat.^[28] The team lost that match 2–0, amid serious disturbances caused by small sections of the 100,000 strong Rangers support. Video evidence was released by the Greater Manchester Police of suspected Rangers fans attacking officers in Manchester city centre following the defeat.^[29] An appeal was launched on BBC's Crimewatch program in January 2009 in an attempt to trace 49 men in connection with the riots.^[30]

On the domestic front, the race for the Scottish Premier League continued until the final matchday of the season. Both Celtic and Rangers were tied on 86 points going into their games (against Dundee United and Aberdeen respectively) on 22 May 2008, but Celtic were top of the table due to having a better goal difference of 57, four ahead of Rangers. This did not prove to be decisive, as Rangers surrendered their hopes of landing the championship with a 2-0 defeat away to the Dons. The club had had a ten-point lead in late March.

The club appeared in its first final since 2005. They played Dundee United on March 16, 2008 and won the League Cup on penalties. The match was tied 2-2 after extra time, with both goals coming from Kris Boyd who also scored the winning spot kick. They also reached the 2009 Scottish Cup Final, the clubs 50th appearance in a Scottish Cup final. The side had beaten St. Johnstone 4-3 on penalties in the semi-final after the score was tied at 1-1 after extra time. The final was against Queen of the South and played on 24 May 2008. Rangers won the match 3-2 thanks to goals from DaMarcus Beasley and a double from Kris Boyd.

The 2008-09 season began disasterously as the club exited the UEFA Champions League and European football altogether, losing 2–1 on aggregate to Lithuanian side FBK Kaunas in the second qualifying round. The first leg at Ibrox finished goalless, but the return leg ended in defeat for Rangers after an 87th-minute header from Linas Pilibaitis. The financial consequences of the failures to qualify for the Champions League were revealed when the club posted a loss of £3.9m for the six months to December 2008, and in March decided to offer staff the option of voluntary redundancy as a way of cutting costs.^[31] There was also mounting pressure on the manager to reduce the first team squad from 28 players to a more manageably figure. The player excess was eased slighly with the departures of Chris Burke, Jean-Claude Darcheville and a couple out on loan deals but the increased debt meant that the club needed to find a cash injection. This resulted in the attempted sale of Kris Boyd to Birmingham City which fell through due to the players wage demands.

In the first Old Firm game of the season, Rangers won 4–2, with Pedro Mendes scoring his first goal for the club, and Kenny Miller scoring a double against his former employers. But the teams league form stuttered thereafter. Despite a run of five wins from six matches following the Old Firm victory, the side trailed Celtic by seven points in the league at the turn of the year. For the first few months of 2009 both sides dropped and gained points on the other and Rangers briefly took over top spot of the Scottish Premier League on 21 February after a win against Kilmarnock. The spell as league leaders lasted less than a fortnight. A defeat and a draw, both at home, to Inverness and Hearts respectively, saw Smith's side sit second in the table, one point behind Celtic, at the split. The fourth Old Firm league meeting of the season finished with a 1-0 win to Rangers, thanks to a Steven Davis strike. This meant that, with three league games remaining, Rangers were two points ahead of Celtic. Further twists and turns followed, both Old Firm sides drew their matches against Hibernian at Easter Road, and so Rangers were ahead by two points with one round of matches remaining. Smith's side just needed a win against Dundee United to guarantee the club's 52nd league title. That is exactly what they got, goals from Kyle Lafferty, Pedro Mendes and Kris Boyd sealed a 3-0 win and the clubs first league championship in four seasons.

The club played in the finals of both of the domestic cup competitions for the second season running. The 2009 Scottish League Cup Final was reached by defeating Partick Thistle, Hamilton and Falkirk en route but the final ended in a 2–0 defeat at the hands of Old Firm rivals Celtic. The match was Walter Smith's first ever Old Firm final and was marred by a Kirk Broadfoot sending off deep into extra time for a foul on Aidan McGeady inside the penalty box. Celtic were subsequently awarded a penalty which McGeady himself converted. Rangers qualified for the 2009 Scottish Cup Final after beating St Mirren 3-0 in the semi-final. The second goal of the game was scored by Kris Boyd and was his 100th goal for Rangers. The team faced Falkirk at Hampden Park on 30 May 2009 in what was the clubs 51st Scotttish Cup Final appearance. A Nacho Novo stike in the first minute of the second half gave Rangers a 1-0 win and completed the domestic double.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official site - Club history

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