AIRDRIE ARGYLE ACC. BAND - Glasgow Rangers FC

Glasgow Rangers FC started life as Argyle, founded by the McNeil brothers, Peter and Moses. They were joined by friends, Peter Campbell and William McBeath. Argyle were renamed Rangers, after an English Rugby club. The club were founded in 1873 after the club officials were elected, at the first ever club meeting. Fleshers Haugh, on Glasgow Green, was the first choice as the home of the light blues. This was to last for only 2 years, when they then moved to Burnbank. One year later, the club upped sticks again and moved to Kinning Park, which ended up seeing 11 great years of football, before the blues finally found, what was to become our home. Ibrox was found in 1887 and used until the Stadium was built in 1899 The football in the early years took a turn for the better in 1877, when Rangers were the beaten finalists in the Scottish Cup Final second replay, 3-2 to Vale of Leven. The first League game was played on the 16th August 1890, against Hearts. The score on the day was a victorious 5-2 in Rangers favour, and was the best possible start; as they went on to share the honours with Dumbarton. They achieved success in the Scottish Cup beating Celtic 3-1 in the 1894 final, Dumbarton 5-1 in 1897 and Kilmarnock 2-0 in 1898. In 1898-99 Rangers won their first Championship in style winning all eighteen of their games – a unique achievement. This was the first of four successive title wins. After World War I, Rangers dominated Scottish football winning the championship 15 times in 21 years, under the managership of firstly William Wilton and then the legendary William Struth. Struth managed the club for 34 years winning 18 League Championships 10 Scottish Cups and two League cups. In 1927-28 they won the double for the first time. The Scottish League Cup was introduced after World War II and Rangers became the first team to achieve the illustrious Treble,< in 1849. The club played in Europe for the first team in 1956-57 when they participated in the European cup. In 1961 they became the first Scottish side to reach a European Final when they lose 1-4 on aggregate to Florentina. In 1967 they lost 0-1 after extra time to Bayern Munich in the Cup Winners Cup final. In 1971 Ibrox was to witness a Disaster. On that fateful Saturday, the 2nd of January 1971 a day that all Rangers fans will never forget. Celtic were the visitors, to an 80,000 sell-out at Ibrox. Colin Stein equalised in the 89th minute, of an amazing game, but the delights of the Rangers fans were soon to be turned into despair. Staircase 13 of the East Terrace was to become the scene to one of the worst Disasters witnessed in British Football. The exit of the fans was to become a devastating crush, causing 66 lives to be lost and a further 141 left injured. The 1971 Tragedy had a massive impact on the Rangers players, and to this day, the Players of past and present, have pledged< their support to the families and victims. Although 1971 will never be forgotten, the Players gave something back to the fans the following year. The European Cup Winners Cup was to be a hotly contested competition, seeing Rangers becoming outright winners, defeating Moscow Dynamo 3-2 in the final. It was however, a very shaky start, when Rangers were all but out in the Second round. The tie with Sporting Lisbon ended in a stalemate at 6-6. The home leg was won 3-2 and the away leg was a close game, finally ending 4-3 to Sporting. Sporting won the resulting penalty shootout, but Waddell was soon to point out the mistake made by the Referee, with Rangers winning on the away goal rule. With a European Trophy in the cabinet, it was clear that the new challenge was to overcome the Celtic domination on the domestic front. Jock Wallace was keen to grasp the challenge as Manager, and succeeded in the '74-'75 season. This was the to become the last Division 1 trophy for the club, as the top flight became the Scottish Premier League for the '75-'76 season. The first Premier League title came to Ibrox, along with the Scottish and League Cup Trophies. Honours became to dry up after Jock Wallace resigned from the club he loved, and the drought was to last until David Murray became Chairman and Graeme Souness joined as Player/Manager. The Souness era was an exciting time for Rangers fans, and the success was continued by Walter Smith, when Souness decided to take up the challenge of Managing Liverpool. The combination allowed Rangers to equal Celtics 'Nine in a row' achievement. After Walter Smith left the club for English side Everton, Dick Advocaat was apointed manager. Advocaat came to Rangers with an impressive C.V. which include Dutch side PSV and the Holland national team. In his first he spent £36 million building a new team. He brought in Andrei Kanchelskis, Gabriel Amato, Michael Mols Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, Alan Johnson, Neil McCann, Stephan Klos, to name but a few. He also gave present club captain Barry Ferguson a regular first team place. This brought him the Scottish treble in his first year, and the League and Scottish Cup in his second year. Then things started to turn bad. He started to sell some of his top players, like, Albertz, Van Bronckhorst, Hendry, Johnson, Amato, and Gattuso. Alot more players were also sold. Players were also brought in like Tore Andre Flo who was signed from Chelsea for a Scottish record breaking £12 million. Flo was subject to alot of abuse from fans and the press. He was later sold on in the 2002/03 season by current manager ALex McLeish to Sunderland for £6.5 million. Advocaat then brought in current players like Bert Konterman, Fernando Ricksen, Christian Nerlinger, Peter Lovenkrands, Claudio Caniggia and Dutch Star Ronald De Boer who again came under fire from the fans and press dur to his performance's. This didn't help as Celtic won the League for the next two years. Dick Advocaat was the man behind 'Murray Park', Rangers brand new £14 million training complex. Since then Advocaat has moved upstairs to a General Manager's position, but he will quit this post in November 2002 to go as a full-time manager of the Dutch National Side. A new era has begun at Rangers, with former Hibs manager Alex McLeish at the helm. Since taking over from Advocaat on December 2001, he has already won the CIS Cup and Scottish Cup in his first six months, beaten Ayr Utd in the CIS Cup final and Celtic in the Scottish Cup final. Gone are the days of big money spending at Rangers, and the club is now focusing their attention on producing home-grown players at their excellent new training ground 'Murray Park'. It has already turned out stars such Stephan Hughes and Maurice Ross. Ross has went to become a regular in the first team and also a regular in Berti Vogts Scotland National Team. In the 2002/03 season David Murray stepped down as Chairman of Rangers, but he still remains at the club as Hon. Chairman. John McCelland was appointed as the new Chairman. The club are cutting back on their out-going cost, because of there massive debt. Glasgow Rangers are currently around £64million in the red as this has being well documented in the press and also by the past and present Chairmen In season 2002/03 Alex McLeish won the domestic treble. The league championship was decide on the last day of the season. It was the closest league for years with it all coming down down to Goal Difference between Rangers and Celtic. Rangers won 6-1 at home against Dunfermline with Mikel Arteta converting a last minute penalty to clinch the title for Rangers. Celtic won 4-0 at Kilmarnock but this proved all in vain as Rangers were crowned Bank Of Scotland SPL Champions. The league win was the 50th league championship that Rangers have won - A WORLD RECORD. Rangers are the only team in the world to win 50 League Titles. To mark this historic landmark, Rangers will know wear 5 small stars above the Rangers Crest on their shirts, each star standing for 10 league titles

Season 2003/05 wasn't a very goos season for Rangers. They finished the season without winning a trophy, but more importantly Rangers finished 17 points behind Celtic in the league!.
Barry Ferguson was sold to Blackburn for around £7 million, as was Amoruso sold to Blackburn Rovers. Neil McCann, Nerlinger, Capucho, Emerson, Ostenstad, Mols, Berg, Christainsen and both De Boer brothers were also let go or sold either during Season 2003/04 or at the end of it.
There is also doubts over the future's midfielder Mikel Arteta & skipper Craig Moore, so reports say they will be sold. The club signed Gavin Rae from Dundee for around £250,000 and we also seen the emergance of youngesters Alan Hutton, Chris Burke, Hamed Namouchi, Charlie Adam, Ross McCormack, Gary McKenzie, Lee Robinson, Fetai and Alex Walker coming through the youth system at Murray Park to play some part season 2003-04.
The one high note of season 03/04 was Rangers managed to reach the Champions League group stage where they faced, Man Utd in the Battle of Britain, which Man Utd won 1-0 at Ibrox & 3-0 at Old Trafford, They also faced VFB Stuttgart and greek side Panathinaikos. This earned the club some much needed money. The finished bottom of the group in the Champions League after failing to beat Panathinaikos in the last group stage at Ibrox, the greek team won 3-1 after Micheal Mols had put the Gers infront.

For the incoming season 04-05 Rangers have so far signed Croatian striker Dado Prso wo is 6ft2' and played in season 03/04 Champions League final with Monaco against Porto, Prso was signed on a free transfer as he was out of contract at Monaco. Boumsong - a tall physical defender was signed on another free transfer from French side Auxerre. Also both Alex Rae(midfielder from Wolves) and Marvin Andrews(Defender from Livingston) has also been signed on free transfers by manager Alex McLeish.

Ibrox Stadium

Ibrox Stadium, home of Rangers Football Club, is the last word in state-of-the-art sports venues and the Club is justly proud of owning one of the leading grounds in the world. In fact, it is one of only 12 in Europe accorded five-star status by UEFA. But unlike many other football clubs, Rangers have preserved all that is valuable of the old and combined it with the best of the new. Venture into the stadium and there, among the magnificent all-seater stands, you will find plush executive suites, conference rooms, jumbotron television screens and a superb restaurant open to the public. But step back outside along Edmiston Drive and the sweep of the imposing red brick building presents the visitor with the grandeur of a bygone age. Enter the front door and you are in a world where the air is heady with tradition. This is the home of legends, where great names of the past live on, up the marble staircase, in the famous Trophy Room and along the panelled walls.But this is no musty museum. The business of a modern football club is all around. At the top of that marble staircase is the Manager’s Office where Alex McLeish works, just like his predecessors. On match days, the same buzz of excitement echoes round the corridors - just as it did in the days of such giants of the game as Meiklejohn, Morton and McPhail.The Trophy Room, opened in 1959, contains all the Club’s Scottish League Championship pennants, presided over by a portrait of that great manager Bill Struth. The display cabinets feature vast quantities of silverware, porcelain, crystal and medals. There’s even a racing cycle presented to Rangers by the French club Saint-Etienne when the teams met in the European Cup in 1975.In the dressing room, the shirts bear the names of star players from all over the world, successors to yesterday's home-bred heroes.So this is today's Ibrox Stadium, a contemporary environment in which a positive-thinking club moves forward with a passionate regard for its history and its heritage. It is a far cry from those windy public pitches on Flescher's Haugh at Glasgow Green where Rangers played their first matches in 1872. It was three years before Rangers had their first home, a field at Burnbank. They played their first match there on September 11 1875, gaining a 1-1 draw against Vale of Leven who, like Rangers, were to become founder members of the Scottish League. The Club's stay at Burnbank was brief. Within a year they had moved to Clydesdale's ground at Kinning Park and Rangers' opening fixture was again against Vale of Leven on September 2 1876, but this time they recorded a 2-1 victory.The ground capacity was about 2,000, but through improvements it was increased to 7,000. The Club, however, did not own the ground and after several hints by the landlords that they wished to develop it, Rangers played their last match at Kinning Park on February 19 1887, beating Old Westminsters 5-1 in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Rangers' remaining home fixtures that season took place at Cathkin Park, courtesy of the now extinct Third Lanark, before the Club moved to Govan and the original Ibrox Stadium.That Ibrox Stadium was located where Edmiston House now stands. It had a large playing area, surrounded by a running track, and a pavilion with dressing rooms, baths and a committee room. A grandstand 300 ft long was erected with room for 1,200 people and a white wooden rail cordoned off the playing area from the spectators. The opening match, on August 20 1887, was set to be a grand affair. The opposition were Preston North End, then England's premier team who went on to win the first Football League Championship when it was inaugurated 12 months later.The capacity of the ground was around 15,000, however approximately 18,000 people turned up for the game. Spectators spilled from the cinder terraces on to the pitch and the match was abandoned after 70 minutes with Preston leading 8-1. It was at this stadium that Rangers shared the initial Scottish League Championship with Dumbarton in 1890-91 and where they went on to win it outright for the first time in 1898-99 with the only 100 per cent League record ever achieved in world football. That was also the season that Rangers became a limited liability company with the aim of raising funds for a bigger and better ground. The move, of course, wasn't far. Just 100 yards across the road to the site of the present Ibrox Stadium.Rangers' first match at the new stadium was a 3-1 victory over Hearts in the Inter-City League on December 30 1899.Within a few months a grandstand seating 4,500 was opened and the Club could boast two covered enclosures. The second was opposite the grandstand, where the present Govan Stand is now located, and became known as the Bovril Stand because of the large advertisement displayed on its roof.A sum of £20,000 had been spent on the stadium - a substantial amount for those days - and the capacity had reached 75,000.Behind the goals at each end were scaffolding terraces, consisting of wooden planks on an iron frame. The terraces that stood on the site of the present Broomloan Road Stand stretched up 150ft. Because of its size, the ground was awarded the Scotland v England international match in 1902. But at this game, the first Ibrox disaster occurred when a section of the wooden terracing collapsed and 26 people were killed.One consequence of the disaster was the decision that solid earth banking would provide a safer basis for terracing. The wooden scaffolds were removed and the ground capacity was cut to 25,000. Constuction engineer Archibald Leitch, who had worked on Hampden Park and, in England, on Portsmouth's Fratton Park and Everton's Goodison Park, was called in to advise Rangers. By 1910, Ibrox Stadium had taken on the shape of a vast bowl and had expanded to accommodate 63,000 fans. After the First World War, the capacity was again improved to take crowds in excess of 80,000 and by the 1920s the Club was on the way to building what was undoubtedly one of the finest stadiums in Britain. The centrepiece was Leitch's magnificent grandstand which included the Club's offices, the marble staircase, new dressing rooms and a kit room. The grandstand, set off by a facade which is now a listed building, was opened for the New Year match against Celtic on January 1 1929. Rangers celebrated the opulence of their new surroundings by trouncing Celtic 3-0.The grandstand had seats for 10,500 and many thousands more could be accommodated standing in its enclosures. Bill Struth was in residency in the new Manager's Office, just along the wood-panelled corridor from the boardroom and the Blue Room. In one corner of the Blue Room there still stands a piano which Struth would play to relax after matches. These were heady days. Rangers were in the middle of a run of five Championship title wins in a row and crowds were enormous. Later, the Old Firm game of January 2 1939 set what is still the British record attendance for a League game when 118,567 watched Rangers beat Celtic 2-1 at Ibrox Stadium.There were no major structural changes to the stadium for the next 30 years, although legislation limited crowds to around 80,000. But it was another Old Firm game, the fateful one on January 2 1971 when 66 people died in the second Ibrox disaster, that was the catalyst for Rangers' ground to become all-seater.Manager Willie Waddell had the vision. He believed that steep terracing and exits, such as the one where the disaster happened on Staircase 13, had to go. He visited the Dortmund ground in Germany and began to lay the foundations for the changes which culminated in today's Ibrox Stadium. In 1973, 10,000 bench seats were fitted on the north terracing as a temporary measure, becoming known as the Centenary Stand. By 1978 the east terracing was being ripped up and a year later the Copland Road Stand was in its place. By 1981 the Centenary Stand had been demolished and replaced with the Govan Stand with 10,300 seats.The sum of £10 million was spent in the first decade after the disaster. The stadium was changing from its familiar oval shape into the current rectangular structure. The pace of change quickened when David Murray, took over the Club. In his first 10 years, £52 million was spent redeveloping the stadium. A top deck was added to the Main Stand in 1991 and the last standing areas were replaced by seats. The stadium is now completely enclosed, the ground's capacity is 50,411 and further refurbishments are planned. Ticketing is computerised and closed circuit television surveys the stadium to monitor spectators' safety.Rangers' matchday hospitality can cater for 1,200 people in executive boxes and suites around the stadium. The suites bear the names of legendary Rangers' players - Thornton, Waddell, McPhail, Cooper, Morton and Woodburn. The Ibrox Suite which is situated overlooking the ground between the Govan and Copland Road Stands. The Argyle House Restaurant, with views across the pitch, is open to the public on non-matchdays. A new suite has also being add in the Main Stand called "Club Europe", where you can sample food from all our Europe. The two jumbotron television screens at the northern corners of the ground provide not only pre-match entertainment, but also live pictures during games and beamback coverage of away fixtures. All these features add up to an enviable package of first-class facilities which Rangers offer. The Club Superstore, which supplies supporters with a comprehensive range of official merchandise, now stands close to the corner where Staircase 13 was once situated.

MURRAY PARK - RANGERS TRAINING COMPLEX
When Dick Advocaat arrived in Glasgow in the summer of 1998, he was astonished that a Club of the size and reputation of Rangers< did not have it’s own training facility. With the support of Chairman David Murray, he set about rectifying that situation by creating one of the foremost training centres of its kind in the world. Three years and £14 million later, Murray Park is testimony to their combined vision and commitment. The Rangers Football Centre in Auchenhowie is the first custom-built centre of its kind in Scottish football. Murray and Advocaat spent months examining the facilities of other clubs, both in the UK and abroad, and together created a blueprint for an outstanding complex that will contribute immeasurably to the future of the game in Scotland. Both men recognised the need to develop new players to ensure the Club's long term success. As David Murray commented when plans for the centre were unveiled in October 2000, "It is our aim to considerably improve the development of young talent in Scotland. If we are to continue to be successful and have the ability to compete at the highest level in Europe, it is< crucial we make a significant investment in youth development. Advocaat said: "When I arrived in Glasgow I was astonished that a club of the size and reputation of Rangers did not have its own training facility. I am delighted, therefore, to have been part of the creation of this superb complex." That considerable investment is sure to reap long-term rewards for Rangers by nurturing up-and-coming talent in the perfect training environment. Now that the bricks and mortar are in place, Rangers new, strengthened coaching team can begin to build the players of the future. The name Murray Park was chosen in recognition of the incredible efforts of chairman David Murray in his 13 years at Ibrox - and the decision was nothing to do with him. The other members of the Rangers board met without him and decided that it was only right that the state of the art facility was named after him and despite protests from the chairman their wish was granted. Director-Secretary Campbell Ogilivie revealed: "It was decision taken by the Board in conjunction with supporters groups David Murray had a huge part to play in this and naming the Rangers Football Centre Murray Park is recognition of all of his efforts for Rangers over the years. "We also chose the name 'Rangers Centre Of Excellent' because it encapsulates everything that will go on here in terms of the first team and youth development and it also maintains the RFC image. "We would like to thank Bank of Scotland, Rangers Pools and Sport Scotland for their commitment in this project and praise< the design team, Gareth Hutchison Architects, for such forward thinking ideas

THE MURRAY PARK COMPLEX

Murray Park includes six full size pitches, two half size pitches, a practice area, a synthetic indoor pitch and the training centre housed within a 38 acre site at Auchenhowie, Milngavie. The centre is divided into three distinct sections – an administration wing, a professional wing and a youth wing. The youth and professional wings have their own reception area, dining room, changing rooms, kit store and lecture room, whilst facilities such as the gym, medical suite and indoor pitch are shared between the professional and youth set ups. Two and half pitches will be dedicated to the first team, with the remaining areas being utilised for youth development. The Gym and Medical Suite

Every piece of equipment in the £150,000 state-of-the-art gym is linked to the medical centre’s computer system to allow Doctor Gert Goudswaard to monitor the training of every player. Each player has an individual code which activates a personalised fitness programme designed to meet their unique requirements. The gym also includes an isokinetic machine, which allows players to work within the constraints of an injury by testing muscle strength and reaction during a workout. The machine ensures that players who are coming back from injury do not strain weak muscles and joints, so preventing re-injury and hastened recovery. Rangers 6 x 3 metre hydrotherapy pool has an angled, moveable floor and a series of massage jets and currents that will allow a range of rehabilitation exercises to take place. Players can swim against the current or run in shallow or deep water to work muscles in a supporting environment. High power jets can also be used as a massage aid. The Indoor Pitch

Murray Park’s 60 x 40 metre indoor synthetic pitch is laid on a bed of sand and tiny rubber crumbs designed to cushion the surface and prevent injuries. This revolutionary new surface closely mimics real grass and is used by clubs such as Ajax. Players will be able to train whatever the weather in this facility.
The Editing Suite

Rangers £50,000 editing suite contains the latest video editing equipment linked to a remote control camera on the professional training pitch. Remote radios will allow the Manager to remain in constant contact with the camera operator who will film every training session and edit it to the Manager’s requirements. Footage can then be shown in the lecture rooms to assist with post-match analysis and tactical meetings. The editing suite can also produce tapes focusing on a specific player, opponent or move. For example, a short tape can be created to show every penalty taken by a specific team over the last three seasons or every goal scored by a specific player in a season.
Facts and Figures:

The Murray Park site covers 38 acres in total. The complex cost £14 million and took 12 months to build. The undersoil heating on the professional pitch includes 27 miles of hot water piping and cost £150,000 to install. A five-strong ground staff team ensures all 10 pitches are kept in excellent condition while 19 other members of staff work behind the scenes to keep the training facility running smoothly. The professional pitches at Murray Park were built in exactly the same way as the Ibrox pitch, were sewn with the same grass seed and receive the same feeding programme to mirror the playing surface at the Stadium as closely as possible. The laundry room, which cost £25,000, will wash approximately 700 kits every week. Rangers hydrotherapy pool contains 9,600 gallons of water and can be adjusted from just a few centimetres in depth to 1.75 metres. Drainage for all 9 outdoor pitches cost £1.2 million to install. A 30 foot deep lagoon containing 1.7 million gallons of water will be used to recycle water for pitch drainage. Bert van Lingen has designed a special target wall to assist players with shooting practice. A mound with varying gradients has also been created to aid fitness training. Murray Park will cost £1.25 million per annum to run and maintain. · The complex is protected by round-the-clock security and CCTV. Seven security guards are employed to protect the site. The first team players have their own chef at the Training Ground to prepare healthy meals every day in consultation with the Club Doctor, Gert Goudswaard.


LATEST NEWS	BRIEF HISTORY OF RANGERS FC	IBROX & MURRAY PARK

	The Ibrox Disaster		Davie 'Coop' Copper