The Foundations of Greatness: The Story of Bill Struth

The history of Rangers Football Club is long and rich, from the very formation of the club success has followed, for 137 glorious years a multitude of players have worn the royal blue jersey and bled the red, white and blue but only 12 men have led them.

Of the 12, there are giants of the game, but 1 man stands head and shoulders above all at Ibrox, to this day he overlooks the world record haul of trophies, his enduring legacy of success and passion is there for all to see in the cabinets beneath, in over 3 decades of loyal service he was responsible for bringing over 80 awards to Ibrox, of which 30 make up nearly a third of the world record.

He is one of the most successful managers this country has ever produced.

He is the heart and soul of the history of Rangers.

He is Bill Struth.

Born in Milnathort, Kinross-shire in 1875 he learned his trade as a stonemason whilst excelling at athletics as a professional middle-distance runner. It was a hard life, and he no doubt welcomed the approach by Hearts to take up the post of Trainer at Tynecastle. He had lived much of his early days close to the Gorgie ground – yet his time there was brief, answering a call from Clyde to move to Shawfield in 1907. His time at Clyde showed the makings of a true great, in 1910 and again in 1912 he helped them reach the final of the Scottish Cup, both funnily enough played at Ibrox, and although unsuccessful both times foreshadowed the future that was waiting.

2 years later he was brought to Ibrox to serve as assistant to the very first manager William Wilton but within 3 months of his appointment the outbreak of World War 1 seen the attentions shift from football, both Wilton and Struth helped out Bellahouston hospital, he used this time aiding the wounded to learn physiotherapy skills, when peace was declared and normality resumed Rangers lifted the 1919/20 Scottish League title.

Unknown to all later that year would herald a new age at Ibrox, but it would take the worst circumstances to make it happen, while on holiday in Gourock William Wilton was killed in a tragic boating accident and at 45 years of age the mantle passed for the first time to Bill Struth.

To read more about the great Bill Struth please click here

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www.talkingfootball.co.uk

Barcelona Bears 1972: The Story of how Rangers won the CWC

Rangers beating Moscow Dynamo in 1972 to win the European Cup Winners Cup was arguably our Great Clubs finest achievement other than winning 9 titles in a row between 1989 and 1997, to match Celtic's record of the 60s. It was 3rd time lucky for the Gers after defeats in the 1961 and 1967 Finals to Fiorentina and Bayern Munich respectively.

1st Round

The campaign started off with a 2 legged victory over French Club Rennes, in the first leg Rangers drew 1-1 with Willie Johnston opening the scoring in a game Rangers opted for containment before Rennes got a late equalizer, in the return leg at Ibrox Willie Waddell opted to attack and Rangers won the game 1-0 with Alex McDonald scoring to triumph 2-1 on aggregate.

2nd Round

In the next round, Rangers played their first leg against Sporting Lisbon at Ibrox, thrilling the fans with a terrific first-half display which saw them lead 3-0. The Portuguese, though, scored twice in the second 45 to make the return leg a nail-biting prospect for Rangers. Rangers' trip to Lisbon was horrendous. A strike by airport baggage handlers in London meant it took a day and a half for the team to reach their destination. Sporting led in the Jose Alvalade Stadium 2-1 at half time, then the Gers made it 2-2 to once again seize the upper hand. Sadly, Ronnie McKinnon broke his leg during the second half and things were looking bleak when Sporting struck for the third time. At 5-5 on aggregate, the game went into extra time. Willie Henderson scored for Rangers in extra time, but the Portuguese, with just six minutes left, scored to make it 4-3 on the night, 6-6 on aggregate.

What followed must be one of the most bizarre incidents in the history of any European tournament. The Dutch referee Laurens van Raavens failed to recognise that Rangers, having scored three away goals to Sporting's two, had won the tie. He ordered the teams to take five penalties each. With the Lisbon fans pouring over the barriers and standing on the touchline, Rangers managed to score just one spot kick. The Sporting Lisbon takers did considerably better. As the local fans went crazy with joy, and the goalie Damas was carried off shoulder high, it looked like it was all over for Rangers.

However, Willie Waddell was insistent that the penalty shoot-out should never have taken place. He tracked down UEFA official Senor Ranirez of the Spanish FA and pointed out in the rule book the section on away goals. Indeed, Waddell was correct. The referee was overruled, the result overturned and Rangers were heading into the next round where they would lock horns with Italian side Torino.

To read how the Bears triumphed in Barcelona, please click here

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Kevin Thomson: The Future Captain?

The future of this fine club will be decided over the coming seasons, the hopes and dreams of millions will, as they always have, rest on the shoulders of 11 men who strive towards greatness, who fight to be equals with the heroes of yesterday. The days of Gascoigne and De Boer have gone, the players of today are not blessed with the talent or flair of those legends of the game, but they have shown over the past two seasons they possess the heart to take the club forward.

This is only a basis for success, players will come and players will go, the key to the future of the club is a captain who commands respect, a captain who's ability and mentality are unquestionable, a captain at the very core of the team.

His name is Kevin Thomson.

With Barry Ferguson on the way out and David Weir with 1 good year left in him it is time for the boy from Peebles to step up, his apprenticeship under Ferguson will have made him a far superior player to the one signed in January 2007 from Hibs, where at only 22 he was made captain of a team that included quite a few current Old Firm players, and with a year under David Weir to solidify the defensive aspects of his game he is the perfect choice for the armband.

At only 24 he has suffered the misfortune of picking up two major injuries, the first a cruciate ligament injury at Hibs and the second a knee injury that required career saving surgery, there have been many players that have never been the same after a cruciate injury but Thomson not only came back from it, he improved.

To read more of the future captain please click here

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www.talkingfootball.co.uk

Ally McCoist and Kris Boyd: Master and Student

For Rangers fans it's there very own Ali vs Tyson, Maradona vs Pele, Daddy vs chips

The ultimate battle - Super Ally Vs Van Boydy

For me personally it's Coisty every time, I am a huge fan of Kris Boyd but I grew up during 9 in a row and had the pleasure of watching Ally McCoist throughout the most productive years of his career, watch him score countless goals with countless parts of his body, lift many trophies and become the legend that he is. Always my favourite player and the reason every Rangers top I bought had the number 9 on the back of it, he is a part of the greatest ever Rangers team, twice the top scorer in European football and the proud owner of a shiny MBE.

Kris Boyd on the other hand is the clear successor to McCoist's goalscoring crown and of course his number 9 jersey. Born in the same year that McCoist was signed by John Greig from Sunderland and making his debut on the day that McCoist finished his career at the same club he is Rangers to the core looking to cement his place both in the illustrious history of the club and the hearts of the support.

In the 15 years spent at Ibrox Ally McCoist scored 355 goals in 581 games, smashing just about every goalscoring record there is, like Boyd in the early stages of his career he was in a team that was playing poorly and his chances reflected this but as the team improved he showed what he could do, a predator in the box, an instinct that put him in the right place at the right time, a passion for the club that drove him to success, sound like anyone we know?

Kris Boyd came to Ibrox from Kilmarnock on the 1st of January 2006 after rejecting Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday, he came with a record of 64 goals in 153 games over 7 years at Rugby Park and finished that season as top goalscorer for both Rangers and Killie. Debuting against Peterhead in the 3rd round of the Scottish Cup he got off to an immediate start with a hat-trick he finished that season with 20 goals in 17 games making him the 2nd highest goalscorer in Europe.

While things looked like they were on the up for Rangers with the appointment of new manager Paul le Guen the team was not performing and chances were dwindling, a host of new signings failed to produce the ammunition that a striker like Boyd requires and his season tally for 06/07 was only 26 in 43. With the appointment of Walter Smith and Ally McCoist, Boyd stated his intentions by scoring a double against Dundee United in Smith's first game back and added 2 hat-tricks before scoring his 100th SPL goal in a win over Celtic.

The following season it was rebuilding time down Ibrox way and the first point of business was to make the team difficult to beat, to much dismay and disgruntlement from the support the manager employed the much maligned 4-5-1 formation, the up side of this was that for the first time in 2 years the team was hard to beat and while not pretty to watch the results and the success cannot be challenged, the down side was that the tactics have no place for a penalty box poacher. Nevertheless Boyd finished this season with 25 goals from 23 starts in all competitions and almost single handedly won both domestic cup competitions.

The current season has seen the team revert back to the 4-4-2 formation and Boyd has developed a ruthless partnership with Kenny Miller in which he has scored 18 goals in 19 appearances all before christmas. The season ended with Boyd yet again finishing as top scorer and again in the running for European Golden Boot, he achieved his best return in a season with 31 goals in 39 starts and finally got his hands on an SPL winners medal, scoring the last goal of a championship winning season against Dundee United, and another Scottish Cup winners medal, the raptures applause he received from the fans showed why he loves every goal he scores for the club. During only his 4th season at the club after only 3 and a half years Boyd became the fastest player to score 100 Rangers goals since 1960's star Jim Forrest when he scored the second in the 3-0 Scottish Cup semi-final win over St Mirren.

The fact that McCoist is a part of the development of Boyd's game and sees the potential in him so similar to himself will hopefully see the further rise in work-rate and passion and ensure Boyd goes all the way.

The resemblances are more than just coincidence and if there is a player capable of knocking Super Ally off the top of the red, white and blue pile it's Kris Van Boyd

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www.talkingfootball.co.uk

In The Glorious Glasgow Sunshine: Trophy Number 111

The sun was shining for the showpiece of Scottish football, the newly renamed Homecoming Scottish Cup final played out in an unexpected fashion, the newly crowned SPL Champions Rangers faced a Falkirk team who had secured their place in the top league for another year. The stage was set for the underdog performance that captures the heart and imagination of any major trophy competition, but surely Rangers would be too strong for them.

Rangers were rocked with the news that the heart of their title winning team had been ruled out, Pedro Mendes and Maurice Edu who had done so much in the league had both picked up knocks leaving the door open for ex-Captain Barry Ferguson to make an unexpected return to the starting line-up, he was joined by Lee McCulloch, back from injury and who also hadn't featured in a few weeks.

The nerves were starting to set in with this news.

The pressure was well and truly on the Ibrox club, facing a Falkirk team that had youth, passion and skill, this was all too apparent.

It was a beautiful day as Falkirk kicked off the 124th Scottish Cup final and straight from the off they done themselves proud, holding the ball, passing superbly, working their way forward against the best defence in the league, slicing through the Rangers midfield with ease.

It was all too obvious that the two central midfielders were in serious need of match fitness, they had no drive, no control and were posted missing for just about the full match, somehow they made the full 90 minutes.

Neil McCann was running riot, the former Rangers winger was a thorn in the side of the cup holders, within a few minutes he had seen a decieving shot skim the top of the cross bar and a volley pass within inches of the post, despite his age he was all over the place.

The Rangers team, as they have done all season, seemed to sit back and invite Falkirk to come at them, the defence, as it has done all season, stood firm, Madjid Bougherra showed yet again why he is by far and away the best defender in the country and why Rangers fans voted him club player of the year.

The first half went by and Falkirk dominated, the two Rangers strikers had few chances and were recieving absolutely nothing from an invisible midfield, the defence stood resolute, every wave of attack was swatted away, Bougherra, Weir and Alexander an impenetrable wall, this was the only saving grace of a pathetic performance, the only real chance coming from a corner, Big Davie Weir's header was superbly nodded over by Steve Lovell.

At half time the news came that Kris Boyd was to be replaced by Nacho Novo, the support was stunned by what seemed an unbelievable decision, the obvious change would have been in the middle of the park but the wee Spaniard is royal blue through and through, it took him all of 28 seconds and all of 1 touch to send the blue half of Hampden into rapturous celebration, a goal worthy of winning the cup, the 25 yard dipping volley came from a throw in and completely outwitted the Falkirk keeper, Nacho hasn't scored a greater goal.

Walter Smith certainly showed why he is the manager.

The Falkirk team were rightfully gutted as they had controlled the match and after some post goal pressure from a more confident Rangers they took the ball back and continued to press, wave after wave sliced through the heart of where the Rangers midfield should have been but every time they came up against a defence that knew it was up to them and at the heart of that defence Bougherra and Weir stood side by side clearing everything fired at them.

Falkirk went with a triple substitution to bolster their attack in search of an equaliser and it nearly became another case of the super sub with all three players linking up to get the ball in the net, it was close but was rightfully ruled offside.

With time running out it was heart in mouth time for everyone in blue, the ball found it's way to striker Lovell in the Rangers 6 yard box and his rather tame shot was deflected and looked like it was trickling towards the net, the keeper was beat but it hit the post and was knocked to safety, it truly was squeeky bum time for the Gers.

The attacks continued but it wasn't to be, the final whistle was blown and Novo's fantastic strike was enough to ensure that Walter Smith's Rangers had retained their Scottish Cup just as they did in his first stint in charge, it was the 18th double in Rangers history, it was trophy number 111 for the Ibrox club.

Madjid Bougherra was awarded Man of the Match for a performance in which he excelled, he recognised the weakness of the midfield and aswell as being a rock at the back took it upon himself to mount several attacks, he done the job of 3 players and done every one of them with the class and style that he has shown all season.

Falkirk manager John Hughes can feel proud of each and every player on that Hampden park and should be lauded for building an exciting team.

The crowd showed their appreciation for Davie Weir as he lifted the famous trophy aloft, they showed their support of Barry Ferguson's years of service and they showed their love of top scorer Boyd and match winner Novo but the roar that usually reverberates around Ibrox was moved to the national stadium and was kept for a triumphant Walter Smith, brought back to steady a sinking ship he has led the team to 5 cup finals and he has brought the league title back to it's rightful home in the Ibrox trophy room.

It was far from a classic performance but when they tied the ribbons to the oldest trophy in the world, they were the red, white and the glorious royal blue of the Famous Glasgow Rangers.

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www.talkingfootball.co.uk

An Afternoon in Tannadice: The Story of The Champions

The story of the 2008/09 SPL Championship was a fight between 2 much maligned teams, both at points in the season were said to lack the passion and ability of previous years. The yearly battle between the Old Firm carried on as it has done for decades, Celtic aiming for 4 in a row and Rangers fighting tooth and nail to stop it, both teams desperate for the automatic Champions League position and the financial rewards that come with it.

After 37 games of up and downs, cheers and jeers it would come down to the last game of the season, Helicopter Sunday 2.

Rangers were sitting 2 points ahead in the league but facing a goal difference defecit of 1, if Celtic won then Rangers had to take the 3 points. So it was a case of win at all costs, win the game and win the league, stop the Celtic challenge and become heroes for a new generation. An easy task you would think for one of the big 2, but this game was at Tannadice, a ground that had not yeilded the full three points for 3 years, a Dundee United team who were still fighting for a European spot, a Rangers team who were said to lack the bottle of champions.

Before the game the usual reports in the press were from Celtic players saying Rangers didn't deserve to win the league and this helped to give the players the boost that would ultimately see them crowned Champions of Scotland.

Kick off was at 1 O'clock and straight from the kick off it was clear who's day it would be, the crowd inside Tannadice were bouncing, vocal, the 12th man, and they done their team the service of making it quite clear they were there and they were taking no prisoners. Lining up 4-4-2 the Gers pushed from the very start and that paid off in the 6th minute when a sublime pass from the outside of Davis' right boot found Boyd in space, the prolific hitman turned provider as he turned and delivered a ball across to Man of the Match Lafferty who challenged well and prodded past a helpless Zaluska, the stadium and half the country exploded in delight.

Davis continued to be a problem on the right and delivered a low cross to the backpost that was blazed over the bar by Kenny Miller, the rest of the first half was tight with Dundee United's only real chance coming from a David Robertson header that was easily claimed by goalkeeper Alexander. Paul Dixon had a good spell, delivering a few crosses into the Rangers box but the best defense in the league held firm under every wave of attack. As the time ticked on it was again time for a Rangers assault, 32 minutes had past and Lafferty again had the ball in the net but it was chopped off as Miller was offside when he delivered the ball to the Ulsterman, a few minutes later it was Kris Boyd's turn, some clever play in the box and a delightful turn gave the deadliest striker in the country a sight at goal but some good defending by Kovacevic denied Boyd his goal on the line. The second inevitably came on the stroke of half time, Dods gave away a shocking freekick on the edge of the area and up stepped Sasa Papac, his deadball was struck against the side of the United wall and fell perfectly for Pedro Mendes to unleash one of his trademark bullets, his first won goal of the season, his last cemented Rangers position at the top of the pile, struck expertly through a mass of orange shirts he found the bottom corner and left Zaluska as helpless as he was for the first.

As the teams ran out for the second half the stadium was buzzing with the sense of impending celebration, no-one knew what would happen over the course of 45 minutes, would United mount an attack that would pull the title from their grasp, would Rangers hold out for a famous victory, we would soon find out.

It took only 7 minutes before the question was answered and both game and title were wrapped up, and it had to be the number 9, the man who has scored more goals than anyone in the team, more than anyone in the country, Kris Boyd scored number 31 of the season and secured himself his first SPL winners medal, a Steven Whittaker cross tore apart the United defense and Boyd drove through the heart of the box to fire past an again helpless Zaluska, the delight was evident, the screams of the crowd drowning out the home support, every one in the country knew that Rangers were Champions yet again.

Substitute Sandaza tried to get a quick reply but as with every United attack it was poorly wasted, Rangers took their foot off the pedal and sat back on their 3 goal lead, waiting to be crowned. Subsitutions were made and it was a fitting run out for Barry Ferguson and Nacho Novo, the 2 players in the squad who bleed royal blue, for all their valued service they deserved to play their part and Novo forced the keeper into a save after some good play. As the game drew to a close United finally managed a proper attack and it was left to their substitute centre back to force Alexander into a superb save from a volley.

The final whistle was heard, then all you could hear in Dundee was the rapture of the Rangers support, after 3 long years the SPL title was coming home, number 52 was won, trophy number 109 was off the helicopter and safely in the hands of the boys in royal blue. The faces of the players told the story, the voices of the fans painted the picture, the SPL table said all that needed to be said

Rangers are Champions.

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www.talkingfootball.co.uk