The Rangers
Frae Wikipedia
The Rangers (or the Gers, Teddy Bears) is Scotland's maist successfu fitba team in terms o trophies won an haes won the league championship 51 times. The team plays thair gemmes at Ibrox Park in Ibrox in the sou-west end o Glesgae.
[edit] Hamelt Success, Internaitional Failure: A History o The Reengers
The Rangers wis formed in 1873, an they war ane o Scotland's leadin clubs, alang wi sic weel-kent names as Renton, Vale o Leven an Queen's Pairk.
The Rangers that we ken nou, hoaniver, is the affcome o the anti-Irish feelin that soupit a guid bit o Scotland efter an influx o faimine refugees frae Ireland.
The formation o the Celtic Fitbaw Club as a chairitable institution for the Irish o Glesca creatit a caw for a Scots team tae combat the 'Irish Menace'. This was maugre The Celtic niver steekin its doors tae onybody, regairdless o race, colour or creed.
The Rangers becam the team mony Scots Protestants an Orangemen waled as best graitht tae cosh whit they saw as the Irish Catholics o the Celtic. The Rangers enshrined this attitude in their signin policy; for aboot ane hunder year, they wadna sign a Catholic (Catholicism wis seen as a canny indicator o Irishness).
Protectit by the Scots Press until aboot five year syne, the 'Estaiblishent club' won a record nummer o Scots league teetles. The nummer currently staunds at fifty-ane. Frustration wis tae be their bedfallae whan it cam tae success on a wider scale: the Empire Exhibeetion Trophy an Coronation Cup baith gaed tae The Celtic, wha liftit the European Cup in 1967, becomin the first Northren European team tae dae that. This wis muckle tae the chagrin o the Rangers faithfu, whase club ethos ('We Are The People' is a poapular terrace chant) demaundit that they maistert the Celtic.
This led tae a period o obsession wi emulatin the success o Jock Stein. (Stein, himsel a Protestant, teuk advantage o Celtic's iver-inclusive singin policy an won the European Cup wi indigenous Scots Protestants like Tommy Gemmell an Bertie Auld in the side.)
An element o success cam in the form o victory ower Dynamo Moscow in the feenal o the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup, but e'en this wis marred by the behaviour o The Rangers' fans, wha invadit the pitch afore the end o the gemme in Barcelona, forcin the cup tae be presentit in the dressin room, and The Rangers tae be bannit fae defendin their trophy in their centenary year.
Efter a period o ignominy in the early 1980s, that saw The Rangers playin afore hame crouds o as litle as three thoosand, David Murray's wads o cash providit the best chaunce for The Rangers o makkin a dunt in Europe. This period coincidit wi the signin o the club's first Roman Catholic in nearly ae hunder year, Maurice Johnston.
Sadly, The Rangers coudna mek sae muckle as a dunt in Europe, anerly comin closs ance, in 1993. Their recent European campaigns haes been shroodit in controversy, wi the Ibroax croud's repertoire o anti-Irish sangs attractin the ire o UEFA see ablow).
Maugre repeatit press ettles tae chairge The Rangers an The Celtic equally wi haein a sectarian problem, UEFA acknawledged the guid-hertit behaviour o 80,000 Celtic fans in Seville (afore their recent appearance in the UEFA Cup Final), whilst finin the Rangers for sectarian chantin, an wairnin their fans efter they attackit the Villarreal team bus in Spain wi rocks.
The turn o the Meellenium haes seen The Rangers firmly playin seicont fiddle tae the Celtic. The Celtic haes won fower leagues tae The Rangers' twa, an made an appearance in a European final, that The Rangers haesna managed syne 1972.
In 2005/6, their stock plummitit further as they feenished third in the league, ahint The Celtic an The Herts. Currently sittin third again, an wi their supporters slingin a deifie tae UEFA mandates tae end their bigotit chaintin, whit daes the futur haud for Scotland's 'Estaiblishment club'?
[edit] A New Age
Maigre haein an ill reputation for bein a load o nairae-nebbit numpties, The Rangers haes maide great staps tae combat this in recent years. Thir includes:
- Haein an orange awa strip for the 2000 Scottish Cup Feenal
- Haein a sash on another strip
- Their maist recent strip haein a Union Banner on it, as weel as haein ane on the saison cairds for the 2006/7 saison
- Writin "We Are The People" on the seats at Ibrox
The guid ettles o the club wis rewairdit in 2003, whan the fans wis presentit wi baith a UEFA an FIFA Fair Play awaird. Och haud on a meenit, that wis actually Celtic. Rangers wis fined by UEFA for sectarianism follaein a European match agin Villarreal in 2005. It wis juist a minority o fans tho. That wis hou convener David Murray providit aw the fans wi a Blue Beuk tellin them whit sangs they coud sing, syne they coudna be trustit tae dae it thirsels. Maist o the fans didnae need it tho, sin the problem is wi the minority.
[edit] Major honours
- European Cup Winners Cup 1972 (1)
- Scottish League 1891, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005 (51)
- Scottish Cup 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 1946, 1948, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005 (24)