of the mhanks' game at Motherwell on May 22nd. Oh how we danced and
laughed and hugged and cried and we've been doing so ever since. The
stats over the yahoos as I see it read;
League Titles - 51 v 39 (58 if you include the WW2 period)
League Cups - Twenty-four v Twelve or something equally as meagre.
Glasgow and Charity Cups - Rangers way out ahead in both.
The yahoos are ahead by two in the Scottish Cup, but I console
myself with the thought that they won nine of those in our 25-year
hoodoo phase. Although it is hardly the yahoos' fault that we couldn't
win the damn thing in all that time.
Since then and all summer long the FF message board has been awash
with the Struthism; 'We Welcome the Chase', the slogan '51 and
counting' and 51 v 39 etc, etc. The rationale seems to be dominion on
the home front has been signed sealed and delivered.
So with that in mind, I'd like to ask a question of every FFer in
all seriousness. Do you actually welcome the chase or are you content
to be the biggest minnow in the Palooka Pond, that is Scottish football?
You see the reason I'm asking is, this coming season sees our club
take part in European competition for the 45th occasion in 50 years. To
put it mildly, our record, especially for the stature of the club we
see ourselves as, is at best embarrassing and at worst simply
abominable.
In fact, given our domestic success in that same period and measured
against our European record, then in all truth you could make a case
for saying Rangers are the most shambolic and inept club side ever to
play at the top level in Europe considering the number of times we
qualify. And don't think the reasons for this are purely by chance or
accidental.
I've been thumbing through a book recently called 'Tor!' (The Story
of German Football) by a certain Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger and our own
Scot Symon gets a mention on page 140 thus; (Speaking of Eintracht
Frankfurt's run to the 1960 European Cup Final) 'In the semis, the team
had been drawn against Rangers. Upon landing in Germany, their coach
Scot Symon said: 'Eintracht? Who are they?' Asked if he would like to
inspect the pitch, Symon replied: 'Why? One pitch is like the next.
We'll have time to inspect the pitch during the match.' In case anyone
doesn't know, Rangers lost 6-1!
The hapless and tactically clueless Symon should be held up as a
reasonable example as to why we are a disgrace at the top level, but
don't take my word for it. Listen to the frustrations and resentments
of the likes of Davie Wilson and Eric Caldow when they reminisce as to
why that superb Rangers side that they were part of in the early 1960s
didn't win a European trophy.
Oh, and one last point about Scot Symon. History will show that the
Walter Smith years were a mirror image of Symon's early 60s period.
Total domestic domination, authority and superiority over the yahoos
mingled in with, at times, complete European humiliation. And we were
for the most part happy to go along with it.
What drives me to distraction is that we've NEVER managed to put
together a couple of seasons back to back consistently at European
level and please, please, please don't hold up season 1959/60 as a
'good un'. The aforementioned fankle in Frankfurt puts paid to that
particular notion.
It says much about the routine disgrace we are as a club in European
terms that we have to go back to Struth's time for any consistent,
European-wide respect and admiration. The tour of Germany in May 1933,
was only allowed to come to an end, when the Germans got together a
side (An International select) that could finally beat Rangers. As my
auld granda said; 'They wouldn't let us out until they beat the
Rangers!'
Then there was the Moscow Dynamo match a dozen years later, when the
Ruskies at last found a British side that could match them. Three years
later Struth's Rangers also blazed a trail in Lisbon trouncing Benfica
3-0 in their ain midden.
Since then, what exactly have we achieved? Three second level Cup
finals, although the Bayern wins stands out in 1972 in any sense of
achievement. Three other truly marvellous have you walking ten-foot
tall, aggregate wins over world-class outfits Juventus (78), Dynamo
Kiev (87) and Parma. (99) However which way you look at it, four
world-class victims all told is not much to crow about in 50 years of
Continental trysting, is it?
So all you welcomers of the chase, are you all suitably roused from
your parochial, little slumber? Good, because here's yer old Gubster's
personal European guideline;
I'm sick and tired of Rangers losing/gifting a goal in the 1st
minute/the 3rd minute/within the first ten minutes of a match.
I'm sick and tired of Rangers losing concentration and gifting a
goal (out of the blue, it's always out of the blue) midway through the
first half/the last 5 minutes of the first half/either side of half
time/ midway through the 2nd half/in the last 5 minutes of the
match/the 2nd last minute/the last minute. And don't get me started on
conceding goals from OUR corner kicks.
I'm sick beyond beyond of Rangers players' losing/gifting STUPID and
UNECESSARY free kicks to the opposition on the edge of the box/arguing
with refs and getting yellow cards.
I'm sick and tired of always being sick and tired of a Rangers
defender under no pressure whatsoever putting his lead-footed teammate
into desperate waters with a diabolical cross-field pass that is beyond
comprehension and should earn the culprit a fine.
I'm fed up with decent opportunities falling to a striker, who
almost without fail snatches at the chance when he's had more time than
he imagined.
Ditto, a Rangers goalkeeper who for some unknown reason seems to
wait until he's playing in Europe, to allow the ball to squirm under
his legs/arms/body from a softish shot or free kick.
Now all of the above has been happening ALL my Rangers supporting
life! Can any, reasonable person out there explain to me why it is
exactly that my lot as a Rangers fan is to just accept consistent
European incompetence, unprofessionalism and failure?
So to my reasons for this bright and breezy, almost cheery blast off
into the new season. You see since the helicopter changed direction so
dramatically on THAT glorious Sabbath I believe I detect a smugness
among the support that winning the title allied to the going of O'Neill
and the coming of Strachan means all is well with the world and order
has been restored.
Will we ever learn? As I see it, we have a good goalkeeper coming
back from serious injury and an able deputy. We do not have a full back
worthy of the name and then we have marvellous Marv in the centre of
defence. These are not what I call good signs from above. To offset
this we have the makings of a pretty competent midfield and between
them; Novo and Dado would make a good striker.
Once again to get through what will no doubt be a hazardous 3rd CL
qualifying round we need to rely on our new signings hitting the ground
running and since when has that ever happened?
So my fellow FFers, do you really welcome the chase? You see if you
want to embrace Bill Struth's vision for Rangers FC then you need to
accept that being second best was not and never was part of the
equation. And goodness knows, half a century of being third rate in
European competition is more than enough for any, one club and support
to tolerate.
Yours in Rangers,
The Govanhill Gub