CammyF

As did Derek Johnstone Cammy F

Are we the only club that can ruin players by doing this? I'm thinking for the shocking treatment of Shota - signed from Dutch Football with a better goals per game ratio that Larsson and we played him left winger? In season 2004/2005 wee Nacho scored 25 goals playing through the centre with Prso in a championship winning team and we then move him to right wing? Peter Lovenkrands shone on the European stage playing through the middle, scoring goals at the very top level - domestically, we play him left wing (with varying results) and when we do play him through the middle, or part of a front three, he is devistating - however, we revert to playing him wide left. Cammy F

Ally - 'Boss, the fans are getting restless and are shouting for wee Aaron to get a game'. Walter - 'Well Ally, Big Davie's suspended for Hertz game, we'll give him a run oot at centre-half' Ally - 'Great idea boss, that'll get the fookers off our case' Cammy F

I've gotten an idea - the next time Rangers lose to a pub team, sorry team at the bottom of the SPL, whilst putting in the worst Rangers performance for decades, lets all stay behind and applaud them off the pitch..... At the next AGM, when SDM is using his smoke and mirrors to deflect attention from himself, to defelct the reasoning behind selling eight players in the summer, lets all give him a standing ovation (oh, wait, that isn't far removed from reality). The biggest danger to Rangers FC at the moment are the majority of fans who have accepted downsizing, SDM's bullshit and still believe that everything in the gardan is rosey. Those vocally opposed are often regarded as renegades, not real fans - they are far from it, they are the ones who have seen this coming, they are the ones who realise that we are close to extinction, they are the ones who'll, unfortunately be able to shrug their shoulders when the shit has hit the fan and is running down the walls and say 'Told you so'.... by then off course, it will be to late (if it isn't already too late). Cammy F

I know, that'll never catch on... What about playing Lafferty centre back? As much use and makes as much sense as playing him left wing? BTW, he's not bad in the air, maybe not as silly a suggestion as I thought...... Cammy F

No doubt, he was a 'safe option'. Anyone who knows Walter Smith will know that Walter wouldn't have refused the offer to manage Rangers for a second time. That's why McCoist will replace Smith, another 'crowd pleaser' and the fans will be told that as McCoist is s legend, he deserves two or three seasons to prove himself. Ergo, SDM has bought himself another two or three years. Hey-presto, the majority of fans are happy, and Celtc are disappearing over the horizon and we'll be struggling to remain 2nd in a two horse race. Cammy F

McCulloch, Dailly or Webster to appear from nowhere to replace Weir. As you say Frankie, should be as simple as moving Broadfoot in one and Whittaker at right back. Cammy F

Yip, it's a one 9-year long knee jerk reaction...... Cammy F

With the custodian and his lap-dogs sneering at the we deserve better campaign calling us all faceless and clueless, it appears that our efforts and suggestions are at least hitting a note across the city. Once again, Celtc have stolen a march on us regarding scouting by employing two of Portugals top scouts who will work for Celtc - http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.2493431.0.Celtic_will_ask_Portugal_pair_to_scout_for_the_stars_of_the_future.php Cammy F

This is the 2nd time this season we have lost to the team at the bottom of the SPL (0-1 away to St Mirren) and it's not the first time we've had a chance to cement our place at the top of the SPL and failed. There has also been two telling games that demonstrated that the management don't believe or trust our players to win this SPL title - that was going 4-1-4-1 away to Aberdeen (as a direct result of their performance against Celtc a week earlier where they fluked a 4-2 victory with 4 goals from set-pieces) and Celtc. I admit that I am a cynical and negative barsteward when it comes to Rangers, but that is bourne out of watching negativity on and off the pitch at Rangers. There is NOTHING to be positive about - even if we win the SPL title, it'll be down to the sheer dross that we are up against, rather than Rangers being anything special. Matters off the pitch are even more worrying. In the dark days of Greig and Wallace (MKII) there was always a feeling within those fans who stuck by the club (Many fell by the wayside) that there were good times just around the corner. You just don't get that feeling today. Cammy F

It wouldn't and FIFA have already said this. Scotland is part of Team GB anyway at the Olympics. Therefore the football team would be the same as the hockey team, the swimming team, the track and field team, the cycling team et al. They would represent GB at Olympic level and Scotland at all other levels. Cammy F - Support Team GB Loyal RSC

You do wonder if anyone within the inner sactums of Ibrox are feeling this way this morning? I think we all know that there is no one at our club who cares at the moment (or who is brave enough to stand up and be counted at this moment of time). The manager was appointed by a panicing Chairman who realised that we are up shit creek and we lost the paddles a decade ago. We are spinning out of control and there doesn't appear to be an 'end point'. That is the most worrying aspect. If the Chairman was to come clean (I know, I know) and state that we will have to do 'x', 'y' and 'z' to ensure the longevitiy (sp) of the club and this means 'a', 'b' and 'c', most of the fans would be angry, but would grateful for being made aware and would get behind the plan. We don't have a plan, we are a speeding train gathering pace and heading for wipeout - I may be melodramatic, I may feel the full wrath of SDM's words, but I genuinely fear for the future of Rangers Football Club. No, that isn't melodramatic enough - I believe we are in serious danger of not existing in a few years time. Cammy F

From my reply in Frankies 'Leadership' thread ; The front of the bus mafia critiqued the players last night and did so in a honest way and here was their ratings from last night; McGregor - 3/10 - distribution was aweful and partly to blame for the goal debacle Broadfoot - 3/10 - honest enough lad, but is a centre-half from St Mirren playing right back for Rangers - distribution terrible. Weir - 1/10 - see McGregor plus he's so old he was at The Somme Boogie - 8/10 - a glittering diamond in a pile of shite - first to be sold in the summer Papac - 3/10 - another centre-half playing out of position - distribution terrible Davis - 2/10 - woeful Ferguson - 5/10 - 4 of that 5 for his performance in the first 30 minutes - decent then, terrible there-after Edu - 5/10 - one of our better players, why was HE subbed? Fleck - 3/10 - looked way out of his depth against the worst team in the SPL and the worst full-back in the SPL. Just a lad tho, will have days like this Miller - 4/10 - tried. Boyd - 1/10 - stood like a statue for 90 minutes and his attempt when clean thro on goal in the first minute was 'comical'... SUBS - Naismith - not good enough - Lafferty -waste of money we don't have to waste and Aaron - not enough time to do anything, should have been on from the start, or at lwast from half-time. These aren't just my thoughts, these are the thoughts of people who have followed Rangers for a combined 400+ years. Auld Jimmy finished the debate by saying 'worst Rangers team I've seen; players masquarading as Rangers players, a clueless manager and a chairman who is in as much financial shite as the RBS and Woolies combined. Mr Struth will be spinning in his grave'. Cammy F

Frankie, we have been decrying the lack of these virtues for 4 seasons now and three managers haven't been able to install these in an ever changing squad of players, who if we are honest, are devoid of the main attribute of footballers, skill. The fact that three managers have been unable to obtain this points to something being rotten at our club. Last nights performance reminded me of my early years of watching Rangers under the dying embers of John Greig's reign and the return of Jock Wallace. Wallace briefly stopped the slide, but ultimately failed to reignite the fire and reignite The Rangers. The same can be said about Walter Smith. As the saying in football goes, you should never go back..... The problems are obvious, so obvious that the faceless and clueless can identify them. Last night is a prime example. Everyone on this forum agreed that ICT's weakness was Ross Tokely, the worst full-back in the SPL. Simple way to exploit Tokely? Play a winger. Walter decides in his wisdom to play two strikers against him over the course of 83 minutes, then gives the winger 7 minutes to influence the game. For ~3 seasons now we have played with 4 centre-halves across our defence and continually play 4 outfield players out of position. That's 40% of our outfield players playing a position that isn't natural to them. Substitutions are often baffling, but none more so than the first change last night. Edu (one of our better players who was winning the midfield battle) was withdrawn and replaced by Lafferty. Miller was moved from forward (he was marginally the better of the front two last night) to left wing, Fleck was moved from left wing to right wing, Davis was moved one inside and Lafferty was played through the middle. That, makes 3 positional changes to accomodate one change. The correct sub would have been a simple like for like. Fleck off, Aaron on....... One of our RSC members does a bit of coaching and has done for many years, nothing as mighty as Rangers but has all the badges and been on all the courses. He said last night that Rangers approach every game without a plan. There is no gameplan, we just wait and hope that something happens. There is no set way of playing either. There is no attacking the oppositions weaknesses. Since there is no plan 'A', there is no plan 'B' or 'C' when things aren't working. I also read somewhere that until last night, Rangers had amassed over 250 corners this season and scored from less the 3% of these. If mere faceless and clueless fans can get hold of these statistics, then I'm sure coaches can. You could say that whilst playing Rangers, conceeding a corner is a 'safe option' rather than something to be worried about. Given that we have Murray Park, you have to wonder what goes on there day after day? We certainly aren't practicing the basics, as we can't even get those right on the pitch. We can't pass and move, in fact, it can be argued that most of our players simply can't pass. We can't regain the ball from throw-ins. We can't capitalise on corners (or free-kicks) and we can't unlock defences. Last night was akin to watching a pub team rather than highly paid, so called professional footballers. However, like in all walks of life, if these professionals aren't being coached and managed correctly, then you aren't going to get the best out of them. Also, you wouldn't have an accontant planning the production build and you wouldn't have a janitor signing the contracts would you? One thing that was obvious from last night was the answering of the question as to are we good enough to win the SPL. The answer is a resounding NO. Football being the funny old game that it is, that doesn't mean that we won't win the SPL. However, that is down to the shocking quality of our league and teams more than any quality that we have. On the way home last night, as you would imagine, the RSC bus was a hive of chitter chatter, with everyone giving their opinions etc. One topic that was widely agreed on was the fact that a growing number of fans are seriously thinking of not renewing their season tickets for next season. Already, we have a growing number of members who have stopped going to away games and it appears a substantial number are talking about not renewing (various reason given, as you'd expect; not value for money, simply had enough, credit crunch, unemployment etc).... The front of the bus mafia critiqued the players last night and did so in a honest way and here was their ratings from last night; McGregor - 3/10 - distribution was aweful and partly to blame for the goal debacle Broadfoot - 3/10 - honest enough lad, but is a centre-half from St Mirren playing right back for Rangers - distribution terrible. Weir - 1/10 - see McGregor plus he's so old he was at The Somme Boogie - 8/10 - a glittering diamond in a pile of shite - first to be sold in the summer Papac - 3/10 - another centre-half playing out of position - distribution terrible Davis - 2/10 - woeful Ferguson - 5/10 - 4 of that 5 for his performance in the first 30 minutes - decent then, terrible there-after Edu - 5/10 - one of our better players, why was HE subbed? Fleck - 3/10 - looked way out of his depth against the worst team in the SPL and the worst full-back in the SPL. Just a lad tho, will have days like this Miller - 4/10 - tried. Boyd - 1/10 - stood like a statue for 90 minutes and his attempt when clean thro on goal in the first minute was 'comical'... SUBS - Naismith - not good enough - Lafferty -waste of money we don't have to waste and Aaron - not enough time to do anything, should have been on from the start, or at lwast from half-time. These aren't just my thoughts, these are the thoughts of people who have followed Rangers for a combined 400+ years. Auld Jimmy finished the debate by saying 'worst Rangers team I've seen; players masquarading as Rangers players, a clueless manager and a chairman who is in as much financial shite as the RBS and Woolies combined. Mr Struth will be spinning in his grave'. Cammy F

Norris, I followed Scotland from 1983ish up until that incident at Pittodrie. We used to run a bus to all Scotland games and it contained fans of Rangers, Hearts, Hibs, Falkirk and to a lesser extent Celtic. Going to Scotland games, even in that era, was a fantastic experience, and there was no anti-Rangers or anti-English racism then. However, around the late 80's and early 90's that all changed when for some reason, the Scotland core fan-base changed from the above, to vocal majority being from the North East in particular. One guy that used to go with us to all Scotland games was a Newcastle/Hibs fan who was born in Scotland, but due to his fathers enrollment in the armed forces, saw him grow up in the North East of England. He has followed Scotland everywhere but stopped after the last Scotland v England game where he was roundly abused by the TA as they believed, due to his accent that he was 'an english barsteward'. I have another friend who still follows Scotland everywhere but has cut all ties with the TA due to their behaviour and their racism. Like you say, this will never see the light of day in the Scottish media, it has become acceptable racism. Cammy F

I was verbally and physically abused whilst watching Scotland play Egypt in a freindly at Pittopdrie. My crime? Chearing when Ian Ferguson was brought on as a late sub to make is Scotland debut. Was called an orange barsteward and spat on - something that I've never experienced from my fellow Rangers fans. Never been back to see Scotland since. That was the end for me, I had been toying with the idea of stopping going to see Scotland anyway - none of my friends were still going, watching Rangers was becoming more expensive and the 'problems' with the SFA were beginning to surface. That experience at Pittodrie was the last straw. The episode that ensured that I'd never be back to watch Scotland was the Tartan Army singing 'We Hate Rangers More Than You' and joining in the booing for Ferguson and Neil McCann at the friendly in Dublin. Cammy F

From SKY Sports - Rangers Lead Chase For (Tiagoe) Pinto - read on another forum that he has the same agent as Pedro? http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11680_5005267,00.html Cammy F

I was thinking exactly the same thing and wasn't surprised or disappointed to see SW brought on at that stage of the game. We were defending a 1-0 advantage and SW defensive qualities are better than Aaron's or Fleck's (and he has more experience)... We did spend the rest of the game attacking Hamilton, but in theory had enough attack minded players on the pitch at that time to capitalise on these breaks. In fact, if Boyd's final pass to Davis late in the game and been better placed / hit then we would have probably killed the game off with that break. Cammy F

I'd rather see us signing a right back and playing Broadfoot beside Boogie at the centre of our defence. Broadfoot is a decent centre-half and it's preferred position :-) Cammy F

Hard to argue with really, win all our remaining games by 1-0 and we'll win not only the SPL title, but the treble (and I'll suffer a cardiac problem no doubt!!). Cammy F

His experience will also be vital in developing the youngsters like Wilson and Perry who could be the ideal replacements for Weir. Cammy F

The question I ask myself most often when thinking off, or discussing John Greig is, is he deserving of the title ââ?¬Ë?Greatest Ever Rangerââ?¬â?¢? This title was bestowed on Greig, by us, the fans. We voted for him as the Greatest Ever Ranger and all the attributes are there. His dedication and love of Rangers is undeniable. We were the only club that we ever played for. He won a remarkable three trebles with Rangers (the club has won seven in our illustrious history), his appearances speak for themselves and listening to fans from the generation before mine, Grieg was Rangers during this dark days of Celtic domination. Can it be argued that is unsuccessful time as manager soured his legacy? He was brave enough to take the challenge, and you wouldnââ?¬â?¢t have expected Greig to have refused the challenge of replacing Jock Wallace as Rangers manager. Would things have been different if Greigââ?¬â?¢s charges had managed to have won the treble in his first season (added to the wonderful run and performances in Europe)? Weââ?¬â?¢ll never know. The title of Greatest Ever Ranger is an immense title and accolade once you start to look at the other contenders of this title. Mr Struth, The Founding Fathers, RC Hamilton, Valance, John Greig, George Young, Bob McPhail, Alan Morton ââ?¬â?? these are just the tip of the iceberg. For me, Mr Struth epitomises Rangers and everything we stand for. Personally, Mr Struth is Rangers, others will rightly point to our Founding Fathers, others will rightly have their own opinion. In my fledgling and informative years as a Rangers supporter, all my family talked about John Greig and told tales of his heroic service for Rangers. My Unlce was lucky enough to play professional football and played against Rangers for West Brom and all the family were given tickets for the game. Not only that, Greig had learned of our leanings and had arranged for a stadium tour as well as tickets in the directors box. Iââ?¬â?¢ll never forget my old grans (God Bless Her) face when we were shown the trophy room ââ?¬â?? she asked Greig if she could have a job cleaning all the silverware! We were then invited into the inner sanctums of Ibrox after the game to meet both teams. A truly unforgettable day for our family thanks in no small part to Mr Greig. One thing that canââ?¬â?¢t be disputed, when you look at the clubs traditions, values, history, John Greig ticks all the boxes. Rangers have certainly been enriched by John Greigââ?¬â?¢s presence and would have been a poorer club without this colossus on the field of play. A decorated Scottish International, Rangers Captain, Rangers Manager and simply a fantastic footballer (his footballing ability was undervalued in my opinion), a gentleman and last but not least, a Ranger. Greatest Ever Ranger? Who am I to argue? Information Sources : Silversmith ââ?¬â?? Neil Drysdale John Greig ââ?¬â?? My Story Rangers ââ?¬â?? Season By Season ââ?¬â?? Robert McElroy Cammy F

continued Season 1981-1982 would bring further misery for the Rangers legions and would see Rangers finish 3rd in the league, 12 points behind Champions Celtic, for the second consecutive season. It was around this time, that it was becoming increasingly difficult to point to any positives regarding Rangers and John Greig was becoming the focal point when fans were discussing what was wrong with Rangers. The simple truth was that we were just not good enough. This lack of ambition and quality appeared to be mirrored in the shock signing of Northern Ireland international John McClelland from Mansfield Town. However, McClelland who had starred for Northern Ireland in the World Cup in Spain, would turn out to be a gem of a signing. Our European participation was halted by Dukla Prague who totally outclassed us in Prague (3-0) but we gained some pribe by winning the home leg by 2-1 (Bett and John McDonald scoring). Rangers did win the League Cup by defeating Dundee United by 2-1 (Cooper and Redford). Rangers were losing 1-0 but a brilliantly executed Cooper free-kick drew us level, then an equally brilliantly executed lob from Redford ensured that Rangers would win the League Cup for a record 11th time. Rangers did reach the Scottish Cup Final but lost to Aberdeen 4-1 after extra time. John McDonald had given Rangers the lead, but after equalising and taking the game to extra-time, Aberdeen ran away with the cup. This season would mark the end of some Rangers stalwarts and also herald a new era. Tom Forsyth, Colin Jackson, Sandy Jardine and Alex Forsyth were released / retired. Colin Jackson gained a testimonial that saw Rangers play Everton at Ibrox. The red half of Merseyside were the invited visitors when the completion of the redeveloped Iborx was celebrated with a glamour friendly for the opening of the Govan Stand. League Cup Winning Team ââ?¬â?? Stewart, Jardine, Miller, Stevens, Jackson, Bett, Cooper, Russell, Johnstone, Dalziel (Redford) and J McDonald With big-money signings made in the pre-season Rangers entered season 1982-83 with renewed hope that they could at least mount a serious title challenge, but once again, we were to be let down, and let down badly. Dave McKinnon, Craig Paterson, Robert Prytz and Sandy Clark were all welcomed to the club and were the reason some of us were hoping for better times. However, the season was to pan out terribly for Rangers and we would end the season trophyless. The early signs were however positive. Rangers reached the league cup final scoring 29 goals in 10 games and eliminated Borussia Dortmund from the UEFA Cup and remain unbeaten in the opening eight league games. Then, the wheels well and truly cam off the bandwagon. We lost 5-0 in Cologne and finished 4th in the league an agonising 18 points behind Champions Dundee United. The Scottish Cup was lost in the final to an Aberdeen side who had just won the Cup Winners Cup ten days earlier. We were actually unlucky in the final, finally succumbing to a deflected Eric Black effort. There is very little else that could be added to this summation of season 82-83. Rangers fans believed that we had hit rock bottom, that the only way was up. This theory and hope was to be shattered the following season(s). Season 1983-84 would signal the end of John Greigââ?¬â?¢s managerial career, with Tommy McLean taking over when Greig resigned from his post on 28th October 1983. McLean was then replaced by Jock Wallace after both Alex Ferguson and Jim McLean turned down the Rangers role. The Rangers board, and a certain Walter Smith, Jim McLeanââ?¬â?¢s assistant at United were left dismayed at his rejection of the job offer. McLean and privately informed Smith that he was taking the job and was taking Smith with him and the United board and resigned themselves to losing their managerial team. Only Jim McLean will know the reasoning why he refused this offer and as they say, the rest is history. Rangers would slump to 4th position in the league and were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Dundee in a controversial game that saw Prytz and Redford red-carded for Rangers and the soon to be Ranger, Iain Ferguson scored the winner for Dundee. The league cup was won thanks to a stunning 3-2 win over Celtic at Hampden. Ally McCoist scoring a hatrick and the game will be remembered for two things. Firstly the huge, gaping gaps in the Celtic end terracing and the winning goal. Rangers were awarded a penalty, young McCoist took the kick and it was saved by Bonnor. The Celtic fans had barely time to jump for joy before McCoist (not for the last time) would burst their bubble and slammed the rebound into the net. At last, there was a feeling of joy amid the Rangers support and a feeling that something special was abound. We had Jock Wallace back and we had that feeling back. However, we would have to wait a little longer than expected to finally feel that Champion feeling. Wallace couldnââ?¬â?¢t recapture the glory days and behind the scenes, a little known David Holmes was plotting a future for Rangers that would blow all our minds and exceed even our hefty expectations. The rest the say is historyââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬Â¦ League Cup Winning Team ââ?¬â?? McCloy, Nicholl, Dawson, McClelland, Paterson, McPherson, Russell, McCoist, Clark (McAdam), McDonald (Burns), Cooper. Cammy F

No one who witnessed Rangersââ?¬â?¢ 2nd treble in 3 seasons when we defeated Aberdeen 2-1 in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden would believe that the man hugged and congratulated by Jock Wallace would be invited to replace Wallace as manager of Rangers. There are many rumours circulating as to why Jock Wallace left Rangers in 1978 but to say it was a shock would be an understatement. Jock Wallace epitomised Rangers and was a very successful and shrewd coach/manager. His departure left a gaping void and the board hoped that John Greig would be the man to fill this void. Much has been written regarding John Greigââ?¬â?¢s tenure as Rangers manager and most agreed that it was a terrible time in our proud history, but ironically, it started off wonderfully. Season 1978-1979 mirrored last season where a fixture pile-up and some overly negative tactics would result in Rangers coming tantalizingly close to a quadruple, but end up with the domestic cup double. Under Greig, the fixture pile-up was caused by the weather and resulted in Rangers playing only three league games between 23rd of December and 14th March. The early league results belied and gave little indication of the run that Rangers were to put together. Rangers failed to win any our opening six league fixtures. However, once the players got used to Greigââ?¬â?¢s new tactical awareness, vision and perception we looked like a team capable of going all the way domestically and in Europe. In saying that, Greigââ?¬â?¢s naivety as a manger led to mistakes being made. Possibly the most crucial was splitting the Johnstone / Smith partnership as JG wanted DJ as centre-half and captain. Domestically, the League and Scottish Cups were retained with Alex McDonald and Colin Jackson scoring the all important goals as Aberdeen were once again defeated 2-1 at Hampden. The Scottish Cup was secured after a marathon three games against Hibernian. The first two games finished 0-0 and were in truth, dire affairs. The 2nd replay saw Rangers eventually win 3-2 thanks to a Arthur Duncan own-goal (Derek Johnstone with the other two goals). The League Cup Winning Team ââ?¬â?? McCloy, Jardine, Dawson, Johnstone, Jackson, A McDonald, McLean, Russell, Urquhart, Smith and Cooper (Subs ââ?¬â?? Millar and Parlane). Scottish Cup Winning Team - McCloy, Jardine, Dawson, Johnstone, Jackson, Watson, McLean, Russell, Parlane, A McDonald and Cooper (Subs ââ?¬â?? Millar and Smith). Our league title was surrendered at Parkhead when we allowed a Celtc to come from a gaol behind and win ultimately 4-2. In the aftermath of the game, Greig was rightly criticised for his negativity and it was widely believed that if we had been more positive, we would have won the game and the league title. Hindsight is a wonderful tool, but you have to wonder if we had won this title, and therefore the treble, John Greigââ?¬â?¢s stint as Rangers manager would have been far more successful. However, it was in Europe in this first managerial season that Rangers and Greig excelled and Rangers eliminated Juventus and PSV Eindhoven with brilliant and at times, breathtaking displays. The Italian Champions contained NINE stars from Italyââ?¬â?¢s World Cup Squad and PSV were the current UEFA Cup Holders and had, until they faced Rangers, never lost a home European tie. The Juventus game at Ibrox gave the young Cammy F (i.e me!) an early taste of those unbeatable and unmatchable European nights at Ibrox, Ibrox was in the process of being rebuilt, but the atmosphere was electric and goals from Alex McDonald and Gordon Smith ensured that Rangers progressed. After a 0-0 draw at Ibrox, the feeling that was Rangers had blown their opportunity against PSV as their impressive home form suggested that we would struggle. This seemed to be the case as we lost a goal in the first minute, but Rangers rallied and with goals from McDonald and Johnstone put us 2-1 in front. The Dutch champions levelled, but Bobby Russell scored an unforgettable goal late on and Rangers became the first European club to win in Eindhoven. The quarter final draw saw us paired with FC Cologne and a severely depleted Rangers team were narrowly defeated 2-1 on aggregate and the European dream was over. If John Greigââ?¬â?¢s first season as manager has shown some promise, his 2nd was calamitous with Rangers failing to win a trophy and finish an embarrassing 5th position in the league, 11 points behind eventual champions Aberdeen (who secured 7 points from 8 from Rangers). Our away form was abysmal with Rangers gaining only 10 points from 18 away games ââ?¬â?? a total bettered by all bar the two relegated teams (Dundee and Hibernian). Aberdeen also put an end to our League Cup hopes defeating us in a two-legged third round tie. We faired slightly better in the Scottish Cup where we reached the final after defeating Dundee UTD, Hearts and Aberdeen before losing to a deflected George McCluskey shot in extra time in an OF Final. In Europe, after seeing off Lilliestrom in the Cup Winners Cup preliminary round, we defeated Fortuna Dusseldorf by 2-1 to then face Spanish giants Valencia. A 1-1 draw in Spain looked to have paved our way, but the magic of Mario Kempes proved too much for Rangers at Ibrox and the Spanish side went on to with the trophy against Arsenal. On a more positive note, the redevelopment of Ibrox took a major step forward with the opening of the Copland Road Stand. Bolstered by much needed signings (Jim Bett and Colin McAdam and the return of Willie Johnston), Rangers entered season 1980-81 knowing that they need to improve significantly. Rangers got off to an impressive start in the league with an unbeaten run of 15 matches which included two OF victories and a record 8-1 win away to Kilmarnock. However, this form wasnââ?¬â?¢t to last and a disastrous run in November and December threw our title challenge of the rails. Aberdeen once again knocked us out of the League Cup and the game was marred with controversy when referee George Smith awarded The Dons not one, but two contentious penalties, the second being awarded for a foul that occurred on the semi-circle outside the penalty box! Due to having no European participation, Rangers entered the Anglo-Scottish which led to humiliation and embarrassment at the hands of English minnows, Chesterfield Town. The third division side held Rangers to a 1-1 draw at Ibrox (Gordon Dalzeil) then thumping Rangers 3-0 in the away leg. We were to finish 3rd in the league 12 points behind Champions Celtic in the league campaign that was over before it really got started. The disastrous run in Nov/Dec was one that we would never recover from. However, there was slight solace in the Scottish Cup where we faced Dundee United. After a tedious 0-0 draw where Ian Redford would miss a last minute penalty for us against his former employers, Rangers went on to win the replay 4-1 with a wonderful performance topped by some Davie Cooper magic. Cooper was dropped for the original game, but made a devastating return in the replay scoring a goal and setting up two others. John McDonald (2) and Bobby Russell were the other scorers. The season ended the end or Alex McDonaldââ?¬â?¢s illustrious Rangers career. Remembered for his true Rangers spirit and his diving headers, Alex McDonald would always be held in great esteem by the fans. After 12 years of sterling service to Rangers, Alex McDonald was sold to Hearts for Ã?£30,00 and would later go on to manage the Gorgie side (along with Sandy Jardine). Scottish Cup Winning Team - Stewart, Jardine, Dawson, Stevens, T Forsyth, Bett, Cooper, Russell, Johnstone, Redford and J McDonald

As The Manics once said 'Everything Must Go'..... Cammy F