Whilst this fine old trophy may not have the lustre or the history of its Scottish counterpart, it really has been a wonderful cup to this club of ours. The fact we have won it twenty seven times in the trophy’s near 70 years existence is a marvellous testament to our stranglehold on the tournament.
Our love affair with the trophy started in its inaugural season, 46/47 and has rolled on ever since. True, we went eleven years without lifting the trophy; the years between 1949, when a 2-0 win over Raith Rovers was the first leg of the first ever domestic treble and 1960, when a win over Kilmarnock ushered in the Baxter era.
Rangers of course, hold all the attendance records you may care to mention. Highest ever attendance, highest attendance for a final, highest section attendance, you name it we hold it. Yes, this cup has been good to us, and I have to say the feeling of elation on Sunday just past was as joyous as any I have ever known. Let’s put it this way our lot owed us big time and it seemed as if they knew it.
There are two other League Cup finals in my lifetime where I would say we were truly the underdogs, and we came shining through. Those finals being the DJ final of October 1970 and Ally McCoist’s first in March 84. There was another final of December 82 when we were thought to have no chance but we truly were at a low ebb back then.
I read a lazy bit of journalism from Michael Grant (presumably in the Herald) yesterday. He said that Walter had now equalled Stein and Scot Symon’s League cup winning record with six wins.
Now Stein may have won six, but I make it Scot Symon only won four. Those being 60/61, 61/62, 63/64 and 64/65. I would dearly have loved Scot Symon to have won another two and seasons 57/58 and 66/67 do spring immediately to mind, but sadly that was not to be.
However, when you consider that Walter not only has six winner’s medals under his belt plus four assists with Graeme Souness in 86/87, 87/88, 88/89 and 90/91, then I think we have to say as manager Walter comfortably outguns Stein with regards to League Cup victories.
Mind you, Walter’s record in the competition pales into insignificance with his assistant’s record. That’s now Ally McCoist’s thirteenth winner’s medal in this tournament. Never in the history of Scottish football, or British football for that matter, has one man so indelibly stamped his name across a cup tournament.
Just where do you start? An OF hat trick in his first final, then nine years later, there’s a spectacular overhead kick to win the final after coming back from a leg break; his wee spat with Gazza three years later at the same venue; and the host of goals, memories and medals in-between.
If that wasn’t enough, he has taken that League Cup Midas touch into management. As I say, there is no player anywhere ever made the mark on a tournament such as golden bollocks has on the League Cup.
So what now? Well, Sunday has been and gone, the memories will linger, as they always do, but if this doesn’t provide us with the perfect platform for the title run-in, then nothing will.
I see also that Naismith and Davis have withdrawn from their respective international squads for this weekend, that’s the spirit lads, Rangers first, last and everything.
Yes it’s been a good start to the week, let’s hope the up and coming internationals, gives our knackered squad a chance of a wee bit of respite and time to let some of our wounds heal.
Oh, and one last point regards the League Cup, would anyone complain if its name was changed to the Alistair McCoist Challenge Cup. Not me anyway.
We were, are and always will be the people!