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  1. I was lucky enough to be given a copy of a new book titled The 50 Greatest Rangers Games by Martyn Ramsay. This is my review of it. We all have a favourite Rangers match, or at least a handful that standout above all the others, but I’m not sure I could rank my top 50 and certainly not in order of importance. So I approached this book with a mix of trepidation and excitement. In a recent edition of When Saturday Comes magazine, the writer, Taylor Parks, talks about the 3 ages of football supporting. The last age is nostalgia; always looking back, comparing everything new to what’s been before. That’s the age I now inhabit. The book ’50 Greatest Rangers Games’, by Martyn Ramsay, is a sepia hued, blue-nose nostalgia-fest, that skilfully avoids rose-tinting the past, while celebrating the seasons, matches, moments and people who have shaped our club and our relationship with it. The premise is simple enough. Ramsay, who is involved in The Time Capsule on the Heart & Hand podcast, asked listeners to select their ten greatest Rangers matches in order of preference. From that a top 50 was created out of over 170 matches suggested. It’s democracy in action and like all democratic decisions it will have its dissenters. Ramsay is self-aware enough to say that this isn’t the definitive list, indeed I’m not sure even he fully agrees with all the matches chosen. It’s certainly not my top 50 and probably not yours either, but it is a wonderful collection of matches from our foundation right up to relatively recently. One of the more enjoyable aspects of these type of lists is disagreeing with them. Announcing to my startled family my incredulity that the Glasgow Cup Final of 1986 is missing, the match where Souness first showed me what could be possible, or why 3 European Finals make it but the other one doesn’t. Then you remember that this isn’t the author’s top 50, this is democracy’s, and, well, democracies don’t always get things right as we know. But I’m being churlish and nit-picking because while you might not agree with every match featured you’ll agree with most of them and you’ll enjoy all of them. Ramsay, wisely, doesn’t regurgitate match reports instead he paints a wider canvas drawing in the context of the game. Most chapters extract a little colour from supporters or players, helping to personalise the occasion. Ramsay even manages to use both Jerry Seinfeld and Albert Camus to aid his description of our first ever match, two great thinkers on one of the most important occasions in sporting history, now that’s inspired. This book isn’t tabloid hackery and it’s not cliche ridden hyperbole hoping to cash in on the blue pound either. The analysis is considered, the context is thoughtful and the overview honest. Not every match was football as poetry, sometimes the occasion was better than the performance and the book doesn’t hide from that. Memory is deceptive mistress. I found myself reading about matches I attended, and thought I recalled vividly, with renewed appreciation. Many of us will easily remember the Gascoignes and the Laudrups but forget that some of the sides Walter Smith wrung performances from were far from laden with superstars. I was astonished to read our bench for the famous Marseille home game in the first ever Champion’s League contained Steven Pressley, Gary McSwegan, David Hagen, Ally Maxwell and a semi-retired Davie Dodds; even I’d have fancied my chances against them as a 5-a-side team. Smith’s teams feature heavily in the top 50, which, as the author recognises, says more about the demographic of his listeners than the 115 or so years that came before Sir Walter’s reign. But I am that demographic and I lapped it up. My unrequited love affair with Ian Durrant was reawakened reading this and it was magical to relive some of his finest moments. There’s a line in the telling of a 1-0 victory over Celtic in 1986; “…amid the usual cacophony of Old Firm heavy metal, Cooper and Durrant managed to produce a moment of pure ballet” that lifts the reader far above the melee. Ramsay has captured not only the essence of that goal but also something deeper, why we, as otherwise normal, sensible middle-aged men and women invest so much of our time, energy and emotion into something that often makes us miserable. Simply, because there are moments that are almost transcendental, and Cooper’s flick and Durrant’s reading of it were that for me. That moment of beauty and joy sit proudly on the credit side of the ledger so often burdened down by financial catastrophe, lower league calamity and signing Ian Black. Many of your heroes are here, although some might be missing. You are reminded just how fortunate we are to support Rangers. Our top 50 contains league titles, domestic and European cup finals and famous victories over other great sides. If the last decade has taught us anything it’s to not take that for granted and to remember it and enjoy it more often. It’s not all victories, there are draws and even losses in this list, a reminder that greatness can be achieved in defeat as well. But Rangers aren’t about defeat, we’re about trophies and this book doesn’t disappoint on that count. The author has evidently done his homework, the amount of research that has clearly gone into every chapter is impressive. For instance I’m not sure I’d ever known that one of the reasons for the banning of the back pass was the amount of time Pat Bonner held the ball during a match at Italia 90. That this indirectly then led to one of our greatest ever victories over Leeds Utd was an interesting insight. Well done Packy! But it’s when writing directly about Rangers that Ramsay excels. It’s not just his study of the matches that shines through, although it does, it’s that this has obviously been a labour of love. There is emotion, warmth, honesty, jubilation, frustration and disappointment in his writing, but most of all there’s love. This isn’t just a book about Rangers, this is a book about a relationship that’s endured for most of his life. Most football supporters will be able to relate to that, but few will be able to express it so well. This book understands football fandom isn’t just about a professional player who is fleetingly wearing a blue jersey and scoring an important goal. It’s about how that makes us feel. Truly great football matches aren’t watched, they’re felt. It’s why I laugh whenever I’m faced with all that ‘new club, Sevco’ gibberish. Only someone who fundamentally doesn’t understand football could think that way. This book understands football. For me, the author has taken these matches and added the soul that's so often missing from written accounts. There’s a paragraph in The 50 Greatest Rangers Games that particularly resonated with me. It comes at the end of his chapter on the 1973 Scottish Cup Final and I’d read it the night before the news of Tom Forsyth’s passing, a match in which he scored a famous winner. Ramsay talks about the connection Rangers creates between generations of the same family and how that shared passion in Rangers allows us to communicate with each other, something we’re not always good at doing. It was a stand out paragraph for me in a book I really enjoyed. I’ll read it again, and I’ll give it to my Dad and to my sons to read too. I encourage you to do the same.
  2. https://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/news-category/current-affairs/1157-heroes-scoring-zeroes
  3. Now and again we have relevant book reviews on the site and I've been asked by our friends at 'In The Book' to discuss their 'Personalised Rangers Book: A Newspaper History' product. As you can see from their website, Historic Newspapers is a back-issue newspaper company that holds the world’s largest archive of original newspapers. Unforgettable moments from throughout Rangers' long history are collected in the form of the original match reports and headlines from the Daily Record. The book kicks off with the earliest Record sports reports from 1919, before covering many of Rangers' most memorable games and star players, leading right up to last summer. This wonderful leatherette/leather hand bound book (different presentation options and sizes are available) is given a quality finish so even the older article reproductions can be easily read. Each option can be embossed with the recipient’s name and/or message for a nice finishing touch when buying for that loved one (or yourself!). As you enter the modern era, the book also contains a number of colour pages, created from the highest quality digital editions. With 100 years of Rangers' history covered in the book: from the highs of treble triumphs and European success to the disappointments of more recent times as we recovered through the lower leagues, many of the best games and Rangers playing/managerial greats are featured. Legends such as Bert Manderson and Davie Meiklejohn help us begin our journey through the book right up until the modern day successes of Advocaat, McLeish and Smith. Each issue is brilliantly reproduced, complete with advertisements and cartoon serials of the time. These allow you to immerse yourself in the period as you remember our past glories. It's fascinating how enjoyable this wee extra is and I felt genuinely transported through the eras with every different match report. Talking point after talking point are found on every single page with a range of emotions elicited depending on the story. Take pride in our 1972 ECWC win, just a year after the tragedy of the Ibrox Disaster; relive the trebles of Jock Wallace and try your best not to get annoyed again at our eventual UEFA Cup Final loss in Manchester. The book's journey ends last year with a Rangers win over Celtic during the SPFL split. Let's forthcoming editions of this superb book contain new successes for us to enjoy above and beyond all the amazing history in this one. I can certainly recommend this unique book and it's also an ideal gift for the Bluenose in your life. You can buy the personalised Rangers Book from Historic Newspapers here. There is also a Deluxe Pictorial Edition available, telling the story of Rangers Football Club through iconic photographs.
  4. Not sure I'll have time to do ratings today but, as usual, you can vote for your MotM from yesterday's game... Strangely, (Tav aside) I thought our defenders were our best players and, although Davis did well over the piece, I disagreed with the sponsors vote. I think I'd have to give it to Helander again who was calm and assured throughout, especially near the end of the game where we held firm at the back and obviously his headed goal was superb. Goldson and Barisic were also very good once more. Further forward, most players were generally ineffective with only glimpses from most attacking players. Davis was decent and his shot which led to the opening goal crucial but I thought he just sat a bit too deep at times and he didn't have a good first half. Aribo, Arfield, Stewart, Barker and Defoe were even less effective and neither Kent nor Ojo provided much of a spark either. All in all, a bit of a strange game and, as much as Motherwell rarely threatened, I think our centre halves and Barisic were our best players.
  5. I thought Barasic, Kamara, and Stewart were very good. Hard to best Defoe, though, getting a hat-trick. Frankie's ratings in full here:
  6. Morelos and Jack again excellent but all things considered, I think Barisic was influential again last night with another (fortunate) assist and a very solid defensive display. Use of the ball was good as well.
  7. Davis for me but could easily have been four or five other players. A fine team performance! Who gets your vote?
  8. Not a good night at the Spagettihad but a win regardless - who was your MotM?!
  9. You can also use the ratings to make up your mind on our best player. Make your vote using the poll!
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