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Rangers

Scotland

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Rangers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in Glasgow. Govan district in Glasgow which is part of the Scottish Premiership. Although it does not have an official name however, it is often called Glasgow Rangers outside Scotland. The fourth-oldest club of football within Scotland, Rangers was founded by four teenagers while walking along West End Park (now Kelvingrove Park) in the spring of 1872. They discussed the possibility of forming an football club. The team played their first game against the now-defunct Callander in the Fleshers'Haugh area located on Glasgow Green in May of the same year. Rangers have their home stadium, Ibrox Stadium, designed by the architect of the stadium Archibald Leitch and opened in 1929, is a category B listed building , and the third-largest stadium for football in Scotland. The team has always been a royal blue team.

Rangers has the record for most success of any club within Scottish football. Rangers has been awarded it the Scottish League title a record 55 times and winning the Scottish Cup 34 times, the Scottish League Cup a record 27 times, and also the domestic treble in seven instances which is a world record that is shared by Celtic. Celtic. Rangers have won The European Cup Winners' Cup the year 1972 after they lost finalists twice in the year 1991 (the only British club to make it to an UEFA final of a tournament) and in 1967. The club also lost two European finals after reaching finals in the UEFA Cup Final in 2008 and a fourth place finish in European competition was achieved during the UEFA Europa League Final in 2022.

Rangers has been a rival for a long time with Celtic The two Glasgow clubs are collectively referred to by the name of The Old Firm that is thought to be as one of the most important football rivalries. With over 600 Rangers supporters' clubs spread across 35 countries across the globe, Rangers has one of the biggest fan bases in football. Rangers has the record for the most extensive travelling support in the history of football, when around 200 000 Rangers supporters travelled to Manchester. Manchester to attend in 2008's UEFA Cup Final. Rangers also enjoyed the biggest ever international support in the year 2000 when an estimated 100,000 supporters were in Seville in 2022 for the UEFA Europa League Final.

One of the original 11 players of the Scottish Football League, Rangers were within the upper division all the time until a financial crisis that occurred during the season of 2011-12 saw the club go into administration, and the initial business liquidated, and its assets transferred to a new organization structure. Rangers was accepted to become an associate of the Scottish Football League and placed in the fourth division within the Scottish football league system just in time for the beginning of the next season. Rangers had three promotions over the course of four years before and then returned to the Premiership at the beginning of the season 2016-17. When they were in their Scottish Lower Divisions Rangers become the first club in Scotland to have been awarded every trophy in the domestic league. In the years 2020-21, Rangers won the Scottish Premiership which was their first Scottish championship in the past ten years. It was a world record fifty-fifth league victory. They also defeated their rivals Celtic in their bid to break the record for domestic titles by winning ten championships in consecutive years.

 

1. History

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1.1. Formation, early years and William Wilton

Rangers were founded by four founding members brothers Moses McNeil and Peter McNeil, Peter Campbell and William McBeath who were reunited in West End Park (now known as Kelvingrove Park) in March 1872. Rangers' first game in May of that year was a 0-0 friendly draw against Callander in Glasgow Green. David Hill was also a founding member. The club had its first annual gathering and the staff was elected. In the year 1876 Rangers were the first club to have an international member. Moses McNeil representing Scotland in the contest against Wales. in 1877 Rangers were in their first Scottish Cup final. After drawing the first game Rangers were not present to play the replay and the trophy was handed the team of Vale of Leven. Rangers took home their first Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup in 1878, beating Vale of Leven 2-1, their first major trophy. The first time they played Celtic was played in 1888, just that followed it was the year of East End club's establishment. Rangers were defeated 5-1 in a friendly match against the Celtic team, which was mostly guests from Hibernian.

Rangers were, at the time, playing at the time at the Ibrox Stadium, were one of the ten founding members. The club's first ever league match on the 16th of August, 1890, ended in the victory of 5-2 over Heart of Midlothian. After finishing second with Dumbarton the play-off that took place on the grounds of Cathkin Park finished 2-2 and the title was shared by both teams for the first time in its history. Rangers had their first ever Scottish Cup win came in 1894 following winning 3-1 against their rivals Celtic. In the early twentieth century Rangers have won 2 league championships as well as the three Scottish Cups. William Wilton was the match secretary, and later manager of the team, Rangers won ten league titles.

1.2. Bill Struth and Scot Symon

As manager following William Wilton's passing on the 20th of January 1920. Bill Struth was Rangers the greatest manager to date, leading Rangers to winning 14 league championships prior to the start during the Second World War. On the 2nd of January, 1939, the British record for attendance at a league match was set when 118,567 people attended to observe Rangers defeat Celtic at the time of the classic New Year's Day Old Firm match. As the club's manager for 34 years up to 1954. Struth was the most prestigious other manager during Scottish Football history, amassing 18 league championships as well as 10- Scottish Cups, two League Cups and seven wartime championships and 19 Glasgow Cups, 17 Glasgow Merchant Charity Cups and other wartime awards. In the wartime regional league established, Rangers achieved their highest score against Celtic with an 8-1 victory within the Southern Football League. Under the leadership of Struth, Rangers were able to establish the record for the only club from Britain and the second club in Europe following MTK Budapest to achieve nine consecutive league championships during the 1938-39 season, and until in the season 1946/47.

Scot Symon continued the struth's run of success by winning six league championships as well as five Scottish Cups and four League Cups as only the second coach to achieve the domestic treble during the 1963-64 season. This was during the era of Slim Jim Baxter, one of the greatest players of the club. Rangers also suffered defeat by the biggest Old Firm-era margin of 7-1.

Rangers made it to the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1960, losing to German club Eintracht Frankfurt by a record aggregate of 12-4 for the Scottish team. In 1961, Rangers were one of the very first British team to make it to a European final, when they played in the Cup Winners final of the Cup against Italian team Fiorentina and lost 4-1 overall. Rangers were beaten again during the semi-finals of that competition in 1967 by just one goal, following an extra period and a 1-0 loss against Bayern Munich.

 

1.3. Ibrox disaster, European success and Jock Wallace

The Ibrox tragedy was a tragedy that occurred on the 2nd of January in 1971, when massive crushing on an exit stairway in the midst of an Old Firm game claimed 66 lives. An investigation found that the crash was most likely to have occurred ten minutes after the last whistle and could have been initiated due to a fall on the stairs. A charity match to raise money for the families of the victims was held following the tragedy as which was a joint Rangers with Celtic team played the Scotland team at Hampden which was watched by 81.405 supporters.

It was in 1972 that Rangers were able to recover from the tragic events of the previous season to make it to an European stage. The victory came after a Colin Stein goal and a Willie Johnston double helped secure an 3-2 win against Dynamo Moscow at the Nou Camp, Barcelona, to take home the European Cup Winners Cup. Captain John Greig received the trophy in a small area within the Nou Camp following pitch invasions by Rangers supporters who were upset by the brutality of the Spanish police which, for the most part, were brought in from outside Catalonia. Rangers were barred for two years from Europe in the last two years due to their fan behavior and later reduced to a year.

The following season saw Rangers take part in the very first European Super Cup, although the European ban made it recognized as Rangers centenary celebration match. The club played European Cup holders Ajax, who had initially proposed the idea in the month of January 1973. The Dutch team was not enough and scored an aggregate victory of 6-3, which was followed by Rangers losing 3-1 at Ibrox and 3-1 in Amsterdam.

In the wake of Jock Stein's Celtic team, Rangers regained ascendancy with significant domestic success under the management by manager Jock Wallace. In his first season of charge - which marked the anniversary of the club's centenary Rangers took home the Scottish Cup at Hampden in the presence of 122,714 spectators. The 1974-1975 season was when Wallace took Rangers into their very first League championship win in the space of 11 years. They followed that with winning the treble next season, and repeating the feat in 1977-78.

John Greig served as manager for five years, but did not achieve the level of success that he enjoyed as an athlete. Inability to secure the title during his tenure and got replaced Wallace who returned in 1983. Wallace could not replicate what he had achieved during his initial period as the manager, with a winning ratio below 50%. He was removed with Graeme Souness in 1986.

1.4. Graeme Souness, Walter Smith and 9-in-a-row

From the 1988-89 season through the season of 1996-97, Rangers won the league title. The record-breaking feat of nine consecutive wins was the record of Celtic, which was set prior to the creation of the Scottish Football League Premier Division following which the teams that competed met at least four times per season. In the first three seasons, the club was run under the direction of Graeme Souness; the latter six were under the direction of Walter Smith.

The most memorable seasons were 1990-91, which culminated with a dramatic last-day conclusion, Rangers securing a 2-0 victory at Ibrox over Aberdeen which required only one draw to win the title. The 1992-93 season was notable due to the treble of domestic trophies and a prolonged period in the inaugural UEFA Champions League, the club was at one point one goal away from earning an appearance in the final.

Rangers are celebrating their ninth consecutive championship was won with a 1-0 win at Tannadice Park on 7 May 1997, when they scored a one-goal win over Dundee United.

1.5. Dick Advocaat, Alex McLeish and Paul Le Guen

The year 1998 saw Dutchman Dick Advocaat became the club's first foreign manager. Nine-in-a-row-era veterans having left, Advocaat invested heavily in the team, and immediately saw results, and led them to take home their 6th domestic triple. The league title was won by an 3-0 win against Celtic Park on 2 May 1999. A second consecutive league title was won with an incredible 21 points with the club securing an domestic double by winning an four-point Scottish Cup final victory over Aberdeen. Rangers were also in the Champions League saw them defeat UEFA Cup winners Parma en way to.

Advocaat's third season was the first to see Rangers struggle to compete domestically against Celtic under the new coach Martin O'Neill. Despite significant investment within the club, which included Tore Andre Flo , who was paid a club record PS12 millions, European performance beyond Champions League group stages again was not attainable. After an indifferent beginning to the season that followed Advocaat was forced to resign from his post in December of 2001 after which he was succeeded by Alex McLeish.

In his first full season in 2002-03, McLeish becoming the 6th Rangers manager to win an international triple. The title was won by goal difference in a thrilling final day victory of 6-1 against Dunfermline Athletic at Ibrox, winning Rangers their 50th league title as the first club worldwide to accomplish this feat. The major spending imposed by the chairman David Murray had burdened Rangers with debts that were around PS52m. The club's financial situation was getting worse. led to a number of the best players depart in the summer of 2003. The following season, they were not delivering any awards this was only the second occasion since 1985-86.

The 2004-05 season brought back the glory of Rangers and was helped by signings like Jean-Alain Boumsong Dado Prso, and Nacho Novo, as well as the return of the former manager Barry Ferguson after a spell in England with Blackburn Rovers. The club's triumph in the league championship culminated in a dramatic end. The location of the trophy was changed abruptly after Celtic losing last-minute goals at Motherwell in Fir Park whilst Rangers led against Hibernian which forced the helicopter that carried the SPL trophy to change its direction and then deliver the prize in Leith to Easter Road ground in Leith.

Although they were the favourites to win the title, Rangers suffered an unprecedented streak of disappointing results in November and September which was a club record of ten games with no win.Included during this time the draw 1-1 with Inter Milan took Rangers into the final 16 teams of the Champions League, the first Scottish team to complete this feat since 1993, with the club ultimately losing the competition under the rule of away goals to Villarreal. In February of 2006 the announcement was made that by David Murray that McLeish would quit in his role as coach at conclusion of the current season.

Frenchman Paul Le Guen replaced Alex McLeish as manager after the 2005-06 season. The season began with a shaky exile out of the League Cup whilst Celtic built an impressive advantage in the lead at on top of the league. As part of the UEFA Cup, Rangers became the first Scottish team to qualify for the final 32 games of the tournament, following it was announced that the competition would be in a group stage, having won their group without a loss. But, amid allegations of a rift between the captain and manager Barry Ferguson, it was revealed on January 4, 2007, that Le Guen had left Rangers through mutual agreement.

1.6. Walter Smith's return and Ally McCoist

On the 10th of January, 2007, the manager who was then in charge Walter Smith resigned from his job as Scotland manager in order to take over the Ibrox the helm, along together with Ally McCoist as assistant manager.

The next season, Rangers played in their way into the UEFA Cup after dropping into the competition following their Champions League. The club made it to the final, beating Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, Sporting Lisbon and Fiorentina along the journey. The final, played in Manchester to play Zenit St. Petersburg, which was under the direction of ex- Rangers director Dick Advocaat, ended in the defeat of 2-0. Around 200,000 fans travelled to Manchester to watch the game as well as the 2008 UEFA Cup Final riots occurred.

The season of 2008-09 saw Rangers come back from an early exile out of the UEFA Champions League to FBK Kaunas of Lithuania. The club won its 52nd league title on the final date of season when they secured the 3-0 win over Dundee United. Rangers also managed to defend the Scottish Cup, defeating Falkirk with a 1-0 win during the championship final.

This season, 2009-10 saw Rangers achieve their fifth consecutive domestic final. Against St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup The club fought back from a two-man deficit due to red cards and an injury-time goal by Kenny Miller securing the victory. The title of league champion was retained with three remaining games, in the final at Easter Road, defeating Hibernian by 1-0 thanks to the help of a Kyle Lafferty goal. The season of 2010-11, Smith's last season as the manager was a success, seeing Rangers keep their League Cup, defeating Celtic at Hampden by scoring the aid of a Nikica Jelavic's goal during extra time. A third title in succession was secured with a win over Kilmarnock five-one on the final game of the year. Smith's last game as manager of the club.

Ally McCoist took over from Walter Smith in June 2011 however the season of 2011-12 began with Rangers being eliminated from two European competitions prior to the end of August. They lost to Swedish team Malmo FF in the Champions League third round qualifying match, as well as losing to Slovenian club Maribor in an Europa League qualifying match. While their league performance was good, Rangers on top of the pile after winning their initial 15 matches, the team was beaten from the League Cup by Falkirk and the Scottish Cup by Dundee Utd at Ibrox. Rangers were put into administration on the 14th of February, 2012 which resulted in the club being sacked 10 points in accordance with SPL rules. Although Rangers were able to avoid having Celtic be the champions at Ibrox on March 25, winning the game 3-2. Rangers ended up finishing 20 points further behind Celtic in second third place.

1.7. Insolvency and the lower leagues

On June 1, 2012, following the administration of four months in which the company was unable to come to an CVA arrangement with the creditors resulted in The Rangers Football Club plc (since changed to RFC 2012 plc) entering the process of liquidation. The administrators concluded a sale of the company along with its assets, to a new entity, Sevco Scotland Ltd (which later changed its name to The Rangers Football Club Ltd) however, the majority of first-team players were not willing to move to. The new company was unable to gain an agreement to transfer Rangers their previous position as a member of the Scottish Premier League, but they were later admitted to the Scottish Football League. Rangers received associate membership, and placed in the bottom division, which is the Third rather than that of the First Division as the SPL and SFA were seeking. Transfer from Rangers' SFA membership was accepted by the SFA after acceptance of several conditions, including a one year transfer ban that was in place for the club's start of with the 2013-13 campaign.

With the majority of important Rangers players refusing to join the new team and the new team was a totally different Rangers team gathered for their first league match within the Third Division though it secured a 5-1 win against East Stirlingshire in front of 49,118 people which is a record in the world for a football game in a fourth-tier league. At the home stadium, Rangers started their league campaign with three draws before falling 1-0 to Stirling Albion, at the time the club that was the worst in the nation. Rangers suffered defeat in the 3rd round of the Scottish Challenge Cup by Queen of the South at Ibrox as well as in the quarter-finals of Scottish League Cup at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle and in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup by Dundee United. Rangers have beaten their new records against Queens Park with an attendance of 49,463 as well as at Stirling Albion with an attendance of 49,913. Rangers have won their Third Division title on 30 March after a draw against Montrose.

Other than being beaten with a score of 2-1 by Forfar Athletic in the first round of the League Cup on 3 August the 2013-14 season got off to a great start with Rangers getting maximum points from league matches in their first 15 matches within League One, before being held to a draw the home of Stranraer in the Boxing Day 2013. Rangers won their League One title and promotion to Scottish football's second tier on March 12, 2014, and then went on to finish the season without losing on the field in League football. Rangers also made it to in the finals of Scottish Challenge Cup, in which they were defeated by Raith Rovers and the semi-final of the Scottish Cup, in which they fell 3-1 in the Scottish Cup final at Ibrox against Dundee United.

Participating at the Scottish Championship in season 2014-15 offered Rangers with a greater task, with the team losing away and at home in the teams of Hibernian and Hearts and being beaten away by Queen of the South in the beginning in the campaign. Rangers were also unable to beat Alloa at from home or on away, in the league, before losing 3-1 in the semi-finals to Alloa in the semi-finals in the Scottish Challenge Cup. In the face of increasing criticism, McCoist submitted his resignation in the hope of honoring his notice of 12 months however, he was put on leave to garden and substituted with Kenny McDowall on a caretaker basis. McDowall held the position in the span of just 3 months prior to taking a leave of absence in March. In his time as manager, Rangers won just three games. Rangers were then able to name the former teammate Stuart McCall as their third manager of the season, for the remainder of the matches. under McCall, Rangers finished third in the league, and made it to the Premiership play-off final which they lost 6-1 to Motherwell.

1.8. Warburton, Premiership return, Caixinha and Murty

In June of 2015, it was revealed in June 2015 that Mark Warburton had been appointed manager on a 3-year contract. Rangers were able to take home in the league's 2015-16 Scottish Championship and automatic promotion to the Scottish Premiership, ending their four-year stay with the lesser divisions. Rangers also made it to the final of the 2016 Scottish Cup Final, beating Old Firm rivals Celtic in the semi-finals at Hampden but falling to Hibernian during the championship final. After a disappointing beginning to the 2016-17 season Mark Warburton and David Weir were dismissed from Rangers on the 10th of February, 2017. On the 10th of February, Graeme Murty was placed in charge for this team. Rangers premier team. Pedro Caixinha eventually took over as the permanent manager.

Caixinha's inaugural season kicked off with Rangers having one of their worst performances that they have ever had. After taking a 1-0 lead on the pitch at Ibrox, Rangers lost 2-0 to Luxembourg minnows Progres Niederkorn, resulting in Rangers losing with a 2-1 aggregate loss in the initial qualifying round in the 2017-18 Europa League. Progres were the only team to never have won an even match and had scored once during European competition. After that shaky start to the season , the performance did not improve, with some notable results, including the 2-0 defeat in the league against Celtic playing at home during the league, and a loss by Motherwell at the Scottish League Cup semi-final by the same score. On October 26 the day following an equaliser in the 95th minute at Ibrox by the last-placed Kilmarnock witnessed Rangers be drawn 1-1. Caixinha got fired after which Graeme Murty took over as manager in the interim. The Portuguese manager's tenure has been described as "a chaotic mess from beginning to the end".

In December of last year, the search for an experienced manager proved unsuccessful, and included an unsuccessful attempt to hire Aberdeen director Derek McInnes, Murty (who had won two consecutive games against Aberdeen and also beat Hibernian in a home game during the interim stint) was named manager until the conclusion in the current season. The first day of May, 2018, the second time that Murty was as manager ended prematurely after he was dismissed as manager after a 5-0 loss against Celtic which led to Celtic winning their seventh consecutive title in the league. Rangers finished the season 3rd in the table, just trailing Celtic as well as Aberdeen to win their second time in two years.

1.9. The Gerrard era

On the 4th of May, 2018 the Former Liverpool as well as England captain Steven Gerrard was confirmed as the new manager of Rangers on a contract for four years. Gerrard's tenure began with a bang, with Rangers not losing in the first 12 games and securing a spot into the UEFA Europa League group stage during the process. Then, Rangers were then defeated by Celtic in the opening Old Firm game of the season. Then, in the following month, were removed out of the League Cup by Aberdeen. On the 29th of December, Rangers beat Celtic in the Scottish Cup at Ibrox to avenge Brendan Rodgers' first defeat in 13 Old Firm matches; Rangers first victory against Celtic after a Scottish Cup victory in April 2016, and their first league victory over Celtic in the month of March since. Aberdeen defeated Rangers out of the cup twice throughout the league after winning an 2-0 win during the Scottish Cup at Ibrox on 12 March 2019.

The 2019-20 season began with Rangers having again qualified for UEFA Europa League group stage and then losing 2 -0 against Celtic in the first match of 2019-20 at Ibrox in the opening Old Firm game in the league on September 1. On the same day, Rangers announced the signing of Ryan Kent from Liverpool for PS7m but the winger was injured with an injury to his hamstring during his debut game on the 14th of September, 2019. Rangers made it to their final match of the League Cup but despite a impressive performance, they were defeated by 1-0 Celtic. On December 12, Rangers made it towards the UEFA Europa League Round of 32 as the group runners-up following an 1-1 draw against BSC Young Boys which secured European football past Christmas the first time in the season 2010-11. On the 29th December Rangers defeated Celtic 1-1 at Celtic Park which was their first victory at the stadium of their arch-rivals since the end of October in 2010. But a dip in performance, which included the loss against Hearts during the Scottish Cup and Hamilton in the league in just 5 days which leaving Rangers 13 points behind Celtic one week into March. However all professional football in Scotland was banned later in the month because of the COVID-19 epidemic that was sweeping the United Kingdom. On May 18, 2020 the SPFL officially ended their season and Celtic were given the title of league champion, which was determined by the amount of points earned per game.

On the 7th of March in 2021 Rangers took the title of league champions for the very first time in 10 seasons. The team went through the season undefeated, with a the club's record of 102 points.

1.10. Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Europa League Final

In the middle of the 2021-22 season Steven Gerrard quit Rangers to join Aston Villa, and was replaced by the former Rangers midfielder, Giovanni van Bronckhorst on the 11th of November 2021. He guided Rangers into the premier European final in 14 years, defeating Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and RB Leipzig in the process of taking on Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2022 UEFA Europa League Final. He also led the club into their very the first Scottish Cup final in six years, where they defeated Hearts.

2. Crest and colours

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2.1. Crest

For a football team, which is not typical for the genre, Rangers have two different official crests. The original scroll crest is displayed on the club's jerseys, whereas the club's lion rampant logo is used in members of the press, and on merchandise for the club as well as on official club documents. Both crests have seen minor modifications since their debut. The scroll-like crest depicting the letters RFC overlaid, has been employed since the club's creation at the time of 1872. The oldest souvenirs bearing this crest dates dating from 1881-1982. It was replaced the year 1959 with the club crest with a lion with the lion rampant, old-fashioned football as well as the team's slogan Ready that was changed in the form of Aye Ready (meaning Always Ready in Scots) and was with the team's name, Rangers Football Club. The club's crest with the lion was modernized in 1968. the rampant lion, the team's name, club motto , and traditional football were all left. It was updated in the mid 1990s, afterward in 2020, to the present version. The current circular crest is used regularly on club merchandise as well as by the media, but it is not a prominent feature on the club's strip. In 1968, the scroll crest was reintroduced being a part of the shirt , for the first-time, while the modernized club crest was the official logo of the club. The scroll crest was first seen on the shorts of the team for the beginning of the 1978-79 season.

The way that the scroll crest is displayed on the club's shirt has changed slightly over the time. In 1990, 1994 and 1995 , 'Rangers Football Club' as well as the "Ready" motto were displayed in the middle and above the Crest as well. From 1997 to 1999,, the scroll crest was featured in the shield. Following a successful conclusion to the 2003 season that brought Rangers the Domestic Treble as well as their 50th league championship; Five stars appeared on the scroll's crest. one for every ten titles claimed from the team. The team was wearing a special crest on December 8, 2012 during the home game of their league in a match against Stirling Albion, to commemorate the 140th anniversary of their founding. "1872-2012" was a prominent feature over the scroll crest, with the words "140 years" appearing beneath.

2.2. Colours

The colors of the club of Rangers F.C. include royal blue white and red. But, throughout the initial forty-eight-years of Rangers existence, the club used a plain blue home shirt. The only exception to this was the four-season period that began in 1879, when the team wore the lighter blue and white with a hooped look. Typically, this is worn with the white briefs (often decorated with royal blue or the red trimming) as well as black socks that have red turn-downs. Rangers changed from a lighter blue into royal blue around 1921 and have worn a royal blue uniform each year since. The first time black socks were included was in 1883, and lasted for five seasons before disappearing for eight seasons, but eventually became a regular feature starting in 1896. After the turn-downs in red became part of the socks, 1904 saw the first time that the strips started to look more similar to the current Rangers kits for home use. Sometimes, the home kit can be modified by changing the socks and shorts and sometimes, substituting the black socks for white ones, or substituting the black shorts with white and white socks with royal blue socks and shorts.

The basic layout that is used in Rangers strip for away has evolved significantly more than the typical home strip. Rangers first change strip, in use between 1876 and 1879 was all white with hooped white and blue socks, as well as the six-pointed light blue stars on chest. Red and white were the most commonly used colours used for Rangers alternative strips but light and dark blue were also prominent. In 1994, Rangers introduced the third kit. It is worn in the event that both home and away kits clash with the other. The colours of the third kits are a mix of red, white light and dark blue and black. Blue and orange change strips first appeared in 1993-1994 and worn only once in 2002-03, and then reintroduced in 2022-23 and 2018-19 they have sparked controversy as the colors were interpreted as being a reference to in the Orange Order.

2.3. Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

If Rangers played French teams in 1996-97 and 1997-98, they were wearing the emblem of Center Parcs instead of McEwan's Lager because of the French ban on advertising for alcohol. Later games played in France (when Rangers was supported by Carling) saw the club not have a shirt sponsor in 2006 and 2007.

As part of 32Red's sponsorship Rangers played NK Osijek in 2018-19 wearing non-sponsored training equipment because of Croatia's ban on gambling ads. Team Talk, an arm of the Rangers Charity Foundation, appeared on the shirts the two games in 2021-22. They were away at Leipzig because Unibet has no license for Germany as well as during the 2021-22 UEFA Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt, as gambling ads are prohibited in Spain.

Since 1978, when Rangers signed a contract in 1978 with Umbro They have been working with a particular kit manufacturer , and since 1984 they were kit supplier. The following tables provide information on Rangers shirt sponsors as well as kit manufacturers according to the year:

 

 

 

Kit suppliers

Period Supplier
1978–1990 Umbro
1990–1992 Admiral
1992–1997 Adidas
1997–2002 Nike
2002–2005 Diadora
2005–2013 Umbro
2013–2018 Puma
2018–2020 Hummel
2020–present

Castore

Front of shirt sponsors
Period Sponsor
1984–1987 CR Smith
1987–1999 McEwan's Lager
1999–2003 NTL
2003–2010 Carling
2010–2013 Tennent's
2013–2014 Blackthorn
2014–present 32Red
Back of shirt sponsors
Period Sponsor
2017–2020 Utilita
2020–2021 The Energy Check
2020–present SEKO Logistics
2022–present Socomec
Sleeve sponsors
Period Sponsor
2020–2022 Tomket Tires
2022–present BOXT

2.4. Mascot

Broxi Bear is officially the Mascot of the Rangers. The name comes from Rangers base, which is home to the team. Broxi as an anagram means Ibrox. Broxi is brown bear, with blue ears and a nose, sporting the Rangers strip. The bear made his debut appearance in a 2-2 draw with Raith Rovers on 13 November 1993. [183Broxi Broxi was later joined with the club's "wife" Roxi and their "son" Boris although from 2001, Roxi and Boris have not made any field appearances at Ibrox. Roxi and Boris continued to be featured on club merchandise. On the 9th of September, 2017 Roxi as well as Boris were reinstated following a win of 4-1 against Dundee.

 

3. Stadium and training facility

The club utilized a range of venues in Glasgow as venues for home games in the years between 1872 until 1899. The first was Fleshers' Hill which was located in Glasgow Green, followed by Burnbank Park in the Kelvinbridge city area followed by Kinning Park for ten years from mid-1870s until the mid-1880s. In the 1886-87 period, Cathkin Park was used until the very first Ibrox Park situated in the Ibrox region of south-west Glasgow which was officially opened in the next season. Ibrox Stadium in its current design was initially created by architectural firm Archibald Leitch, a Rangers fan who took a role in designing, among other things, Old Trafford in Manchester and Highbury in London. The stadium was officially opened on December 30, 1899 and Rangers beat Hearts by 3-1 during the inaugural game played at the stadium.

Rangers Training facilities are situated at the Auchenhowie area of Milngavie, Glasgow; it was named at first Murray Park after former chairman and owner Sir David Murray, but has since been changed to. The idea was put forward by manager Dick Advocaat when he arrived in 1998 at the club. The project was completed in 2001, at a cost around PS14 million. The training facility was the first facility built specifically that had its own kind in Scotland it has facilities that include nine football pitches, an exercise room as well as a hydrotherapy pool as well as a video editing suite. Rangers Youth teams also have a home in the centre there are around 140 youngsters aged between 0 and 19 groups taking advantage of the facilities. International clubs that play in Scotland as well as national teams have trained at the centre as well as Advocaat's South Korea team used it to train prior to this year's World Cup.

 

4. Supporters and rivalries

Rangers are among the most well-supported teams in Europe and the figures of the season 2017-18 ranking among the top 20 attendances for home leagues in Europe. An analysis of stadium attendance data between 2013 and 2018. by CIES Football Observatory ranked Rangers 18th worldwide for that time period with Rangers being responsible for 27.4 percent of the overall Scottish attendance, which placed Rangers 8th overall in participation in national games.

The Rangers Worldwide Alliance is a club network created to benefit the club as well as the supporters. There are over 600 supporters clubs registered with more than 30,000 members registered and they continue to expand according to the original vision that the club had. There are many not registered supporters clubs in existence. The official website for the club has over 100 supporters' clubs across Great Britain and Northern Ireland and over 100 additional clubs scattered across more than 35 countries in the world. The website includes players from around the world which include Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Australia and close to home, in and around the United Kingdom. Beyond Europe there are also supporters clubs that are registered in remote areas like Azerbaijan, Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, China, India, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, United States of America, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica. Hong Kong is among the most well-known soccer clubs, Hong Kong Rangers F.C. was founded by an expatriate soccer fan.

Rangers fans have set many records for attendances with high numbers which include the record-breaking attendance at home for a league match of 118,567 in the 2nd January 1939. Rangers record attendance was at Hibernian on the 27th March 1948 during the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park. Rangers defeated Hibernian 1-1 before a huge audience of 143,570.

In 2008, as many as 100,000 Rangers supporters, some who had no match tickets, traveled to Manchester to watch an UEFA Cup Final. While the majority of supporters behaved "impeccably", Rangers fans were engaged in violent riots and serious trouble. Some fans protested in the city's centre fighting in a violent way with the police as well as damaging homes. This resulted in 42 people being detained for various offences.

The year 2022 was the one in which Rangers were also able to enjoy the largest ever travel support to another country in 2022 when an estimated 100,000 fans were in Seville to watch their UEFA Europa League Final. There were no arrests made in Seville because Rangers supporters impressed Spanish Police with their excellent behavior.

Supporters' group Club 1872 are the eighth-largest shareholder of the club.

4.1. Rivalries

The most infamous rivalry of the club is with Glasgow close neighbors Celtic F.C. The two clubs are collectively referred to by the name of Old Firm. Rangers are supported by their traditional supporters, who are mostly taken from their Protestant Unionist group, while Celtic's support has traditionally been taken out of that of the Catholic community. In the first Old Firm match was won by Celtic and there have been more than 400 games played up to now. This Old Firm Rivalry led to numerous assaults, often leading to death, especially during Old Firm derby weekends; an activist group monitoring the activities of sectarian groups in Glasgow has revealed that during Old Firm weekend, the number of admissions to emergency rooms in hospitals are higher than normal while the journalist Franklin Foer noted that in the time period between 1996 and 2003 there were 8 deaths occurred from Glasgow were directly connected with Old Firm matches in addition to hundreds of assaults.

The bitter rivalry between Aberdeen and Aberdeen was born out of an incident during the 1979 League Cup final when Rangers' Derek Johnstone provoked the anger of the Dons supporters with what they believed to be an egregious dive, but led to the dismissal by The Aberdeen's Doug Rougvie and a Rangers victory. In the next season and the following season, it was Aberdeen's John McMaster had to be awarded an oath at Ibrox following a smack on the throat of Willie Johnston. The relations between the supporters damaged during a game on the 8th of October, 1988 in which Aberdeen teammate Neil Simpson's assault against Rangers Ian Durrant led to Durrant suffering injuries over the course of two seasons. The resentment grew and, in 1998, an article in the Rangers match program called Aberdeen supporters "scum" however Rangers then released an "full and unconditional apology" to Aberdeen and their fans, which was acknowledged by Aberdeen.

Rangers Relaunched during the Third Division in the 2012-13 season brought about the club's rivalry with Queen's Park being renewed for the first time since 1958 in the league. Rangers as well as Queen's Park first played each one in the month of March 1879, a full nine years prior to the start of their Old Firm rivalry. The matches played against Queen's Park were advertised as the "Original Glasgow derby" by Rangers and the Scottish media, and they were referred to as the "Oldest Derby played in the world" according to Queen's Park.

 

4.2. Sectarianism

John Ure Primrose, chairman of Rangers between 1912 and 1923, was described as a sharpener of Rangers' Protestant Unionist identity and anti-Catholic identities, which contributed to the absence of publicly Catholic players in the team. In the 20th century, Rangers were known to refraining from signing Catholic players or hiring them in other roles of prominence.

It was in 1989 that Rangers were signed by Mo Johnston, "their first major Roman Catholic signing". Johnston is the very first well-known Catholic to join the club since World War I era, although other Catholics had signed with Rangers prior to his signing. Since Johnston's signing, a flurry of international footballers has contributed to Catholic players being a regular fixture at Rangers. Since 1999 Lorenzo Amoruso became the first Catholic captain of the club.

Rangers joined forces with Celtic to create Celtic and Rangers joined forces to form the Old Firm Alliance, an initiative that aims to educate children across Glasgow regarding issues related to healthy eating and fitness as well as promoting awareness of social ills, sectarianism, and discrimination against people of colour. Rangers' Follow With Pride campaign was initiated in 2007 in order to improve the image of the club and expand on the previous anti-sectarian and anti-racist initiatives. William Gaillard, UEFA's Director of Communications, praised the SFA as well as Scottish clubs which included Rangers for their efforts in combating discrimination. In September 2007 UEFA felicitated Rangers for the actions they have taken to combat the practice of sectarianism.

But, chanting of sectarians by supporters continues to draw condemnation and sanctions against the club, as also convictions against the individuals that have been identified. In 1999 the vice-chairman of The Rangers Football Club Ltd, Donald Findlay, resigned after being caught on camera singing religious songs at an event for supporters. The UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body has sanctioned Rangers for incident in European tie-ups, with the most notable being Villarreal during 2006; Osasuna 2007 at PSV Eindhoven, PSV Eindhoven in 2011, and at Ibrox in the year 2019. In February of 2015, after religious chants from Rangers fans during a match held at Raith Rovers, the SPFL was criticized for their inability or failure to tackle the situation. There are instances of courts and the police in action in the past, with Rangers supporters being accused, jailed, and convicted for their sectarian behavior.

Rangers employing blue and orange change strips, which were first introduced in 1993-94 and then in 2002-03 , and then reintroduced in 2022-23 and 2018-19, have sparked controversy as they are thought to be an allusion to an earlier time period known as the Orange Order.

4.3. Friendships

Fans who are supporters of Rangers have a relationship with Northern Irish club Linfield F.C. that dates back to the 1920s. Two of the founding members of Linfield F.C. Moses McNeil and Peter McNeil have a Northern Irish connection because of The County Down birth of their mother Jean Bain, who after having moved to Scotland to work in the late 19th century, married an Scotsman, John McNeil. From Rangers formation until today the club has had 32 players born in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and earlier Ireland (from 1882 until 1950). Some of them were Linfield players and have been a major factor in the achievement in the success of Rangers Football Club. Three of the former Northern Irish players have captained Rangers three times - Bert Manderson, John McClelland and Steven Davis; six from the Northern Irish connection have been made into the Rangers Hall of Fame and one of them - Jimmy Nicholl - was the assistant manager of the club in the year 2018.

The supporters of Rangers also have a relationship to the German side Hamburger SV, dating from the 1970s, when Scots made the move to Hamburger SV from the German port to find jobs and was further strengthened through their common love of Midfielder Jorg Albertz. The connection was formalised in February 2021, with the establishment of an official club collaboration between the two sides.

 

5. Ownership and finances

.

5.1. From incorporation to liquidation

On the 27th of May, 1899 Rangers Football Club was incorporated and was renamed Its own company, Rangers Football Club Ltd.[90The club was founded on the 27th of May 1899. The shareholding of no single shareholder was greater than 50% up to 1985, when The Lawrence Group increased its shareholding in Rangers to 52% majority following an agreement with the club's vice chairman Jack Gillespie. In November 1988, the head of the Lawrence Group Lawrence Marlborough sold the company the company to David Murray for PS6 million. At the end of 2000 David Murray decided to place his company's stock on the exchange (making it an open-ended public company) The name of the company modified into The Rangers Football Club plc.

On May 6, 2011. Craig Whyte bought David Murray's shares in exchange for PS1. On the 13th of February, 2012 Whyte submitted legal documents before the Court of Session giving notice of his intention to nominate administrators. The following day The Rangers Football Club plc which was later changed its name to RFC 2012 plc - entered administration for not paying PS9 million in VAT and PAYE taxes due to HM Revenue and Customs. In April , the administrators determined that the total debts could reach PS134m which was mostly contingent on the decision of an First Tier Tax Tribunal concerning an unresolved tax charge related to the employee benefit trust ("EBT") system that has been used by the club since. However, on the 20th November 2012 the Tribunal was in favor of Rangers. If the decision had been upheld, the tax bill would be significantly reduced from PS74m to less than PS2m. A Upper Tribunal upheld the decision in 2014. HMRC later appealed the decision to Court of Session, which was ruled in November of 2015 that Rangers ought to have paid taxes and national insurance on the EBT payments.

On June 25, 2012 the Crown Office asked Strathclyde Police to investigate the purchase by Rangers and its subsequent financial management under the tenure of Whyte.

Charles Green agreed a deal with the administrators of The Rangers Football Club plc to buy the business for PS8.5 million should a CVA was agreed upon or to acquire the assets and business of the company at a PS5.5million in the event that the proposed CVA was not approved. The 14th of June, 2012, the official denial from the proposal CVA resulted in the fact that the company was forced to enter into the process of liquidation. The accounting firm BDO has been appointed to examine the many years of financial mismanagement that took place within the club.

5.2. Current corporate identity

On the 14th of June, 2012, just hours following the CVA's decision to reject it, Sevco Scotland Ltd, a new company created by the consortium of Charles Green's to deal with this possibility, concluded the acquisition of the assets and the business belonging to The Rangers Football Club Plc and, on 18 June 2012, officially requested to purchase the SPL part in The Rangers Football Club plc. On July 4, SPL clubs voted by 10-1 against the application with Kilmarnock abstaining and the previous Rangers company voting in favor. Afterward the application to join be a member of the Scottish Football League was successful with Rangers being granted associate membership on July 13 2012 . The 2012 SFL meeting, with a approval of 29-0. The SFL members voted for Rangers should be admitted to the fourth division in the Scottish Football, Scottish Third Division for the 2012-13 season instead of in the Scottish First Division. 

A request was submitted to transfer SFA membership on June 29th, 2012 and the new business soliciting the transfer of members of The Rangers Football Club plc. The agreement was reached on the transfer, with the new business accepting certain conditions that were attached to the former company.

In 2012, at the close of the year, Rangers International Football Club plc was established as the holding company for the group. It had purchased The Rangers Football Club Ltd through the one-for-one share exchange. In 2013, following its first 13 monthsof operation, the business reported operational losses totalling PS14.4m. The company has since maintained its annual operating losses of PS9.8m in 2014, PS9.9m in 2015. In 2015, the company posted PS2.5m in 2016 PS6.3m during 2017 and PS13.2m in 2018.

5.3. Major shareholders (3% or above)

As of 24 May 2022
Stakeholder No of Ordinary Shares held % of issued share capital
New Oasis Asset Limited 65,422,893 15.13%
Douglas Park 52,550,000 12.16%
George Alexander Taylor 43,074,998 9.96%
Stuart Gibson 40,000,000 9.25%
Borita Investments Limited 27,611,955 6.39%
George Letham 21,274,516 4.92%
Perron Investments LLC 20,250,000 4.68%
Club 1872 Shares CIC 19,952,838 4.62%
John Bennett 19,016,985 4.4%
Tifosy Investment Nominees Limited 17,610,000 4.07%
Barry Scott 15,145,000 3.5%

6. Social responsibility

.

6.1. Support for charities

The Rangers Charity Foundation was created in 2002. The foundation is involved in a range of charitable initiatives, often including Rangers staff as well as star players. It also holds agreements to UNICEF, The Prostate Cancer Charity and Erskine as well as being responsible for more than PS2.3 millions in contributions. In addition to fundraising The Rangers Charity Foundation regularly bring disabled, sick or disadvantaged children to play in matches and tour at Ibrox as well as the chance for them to get to know the athletes.

With its involvement in its support of the Rangers Charity Foundation, the club has supported a range of charities through financial and support. Since 2008, Rangers was the first Scottish team to be selected as a member club of UNICEF. Its Charity Foundation has backed initiatives in Togo and India and also provided 1 million vaccinations in children's vaccines. Rangers has also been a staunch patron of Erskine the charity that offers long-term medical treatment for those who have served in their British Armed Forces, and in 2012, it donated PS25,000 to support projects within their care residences. In January 2015 Rangers held a charity game to benefit the former teammate Fernando Ricksen who had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease and raised over PS320,000 for the player as well as MND Scotland.

6.2. Work in the community

Alongside its collaboration with various charitable organizations, the club and the Charity Foundation operate various initiatives in the community, including classes designed to assist Armed Forces veterans overcome addictions in order to bring awareness to social issues and assist individuals get back to work. In October of 2015 the club introduced its Ready2Succeed program, which is an intensive ten-week program that was designed to help participants build confidence and employability abilities by playing football and exercising. Rangers first-team players regularly visit at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow each throughout the year during the holiday season when they distribute gifts to children, and also donate funds to the hospital's activities fund.

 

7. Popular culture

In 2002 the Former Rangers forward Ally McCoist starred in Robert Duvall's film A Shot at Glory as Jackie McQuillan where he would play against Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final for "Kilnockie F.C. " A fictional team.

In 2003 it was a Scottish television documentary series produced in 2003 by BBC Scotland, Blue Heaven was a documentary series that followed young footballers at Rangers as they attempted to establish a career in football. The show was first broadcast during the cold winter months of 2003, followed by an additional episode airing in the year 2011.

In 2008, the celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay returned to Rangers which was the club which he was a member of as a child and taught them about cooking. This was in series 4 Episode 12,, of The F Word.

Because of the fame that Rangers, and the "Rangers Inter City Firm" which is a football-related company affiliated with the club. Rangers are been featured in documentaries on television and books on hooliganism in football such as The Real Football Factories Series 1 Episode 5 of The Real Football Factories presented by English actor Danny Dyer on Bravo in 2006. In the episode, Dyer attends the first Old Firm game and is greeted by players of Rangers, Celtic, Aberdeen, Hibernian, Dundee United and Dundee.

The club was featured in the BBC Scotland comedy Scotch and Wry in 1979 in a scene in which manager (Rikki Fulton) and Chief Scout (Gregor Fisher) do not know they signed the new Catholic soccer player (Gerard Kelly) and then attempt to terminate his contract in order to prevent a public breach of their club's "No Catholic" signing policy after discovering.

Rangers have been seen in the theatre several times in shows like Follow Follow: The Rangers Story at the King's Theatre in 1994 starring Scottish actors Barbara Rafferty, Alexander Morton, Jonathan Watson, Iain Robertson, Ronnie Letham and Stuart Bowman; Singin' I'm Not A Billy Tim at the King's Theatre in 1994; Billy and Tim in the Pavilion Theatre in 2009; Divided City at the Citizens Theatre in the year 2011 as well as, in the past, Billy and Tim and the Wee Glesga Ghost in 2015 in addition to Rally Roon the Rangers in 2022 and 2019 on the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow.

William Orcutt Cushing's anthem "Follow On" is also called "Down in the Valley with My Savior I'd Follow Him" as well as "I I Will Follow Jesus", has been adopted as the official anthem of the Rangers.

8. Records

Club
Unbeaten League Seasons

1898–99 (Rangers won all of their 18 league matches) and 2020–21

Highest attendance

143,570 vs Hibernian, 27 March 1948

UK record home attendance

118,567 vs Celtic, 2 January 1939

Highest European attendance

100,000 vs Dynamo Kyiv, 16 September 1987

World record fourth-tier attendance

50,048 vs Berwick Rangers, 4 May 2013

Highest scoring match

14–2 vs Whitehill, 29 September 1883

14–2 vs Blairgowrie, 20 January 1934

Record league victory

10–0 vs Hibernian, 24 December 1898

Joint world record trebles won

7

World record trophies won

119

Player

Record appearances

Dougie Gray, 940 appearances, 1925–1947

Most league appearances

Sandy Archibald, 513 appearances, 1917–1934

Record goalscorer

Jimmy Smith, 381 goals, 1929–1946

 

Most league goals

Jimmy Smith, 300 goals, 1929–1946

Most Scotland caps whilst playing at Rangers

Ally McCoist, 61 caps, 1983–1998

9. Players

As of 31 August 2022

9.1. First-team squad

 
No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  SCO Allan McGregor
2 DF  ENG James Tavernier (captain)
3 DF  TUR Rıdvan Yılmaz
4 MF  ENG John Lundstram
5 DF  SWE Filip Helander
6 DF  ENG Connor Goldson (vice-captain)
7 MF  ROU Ianis Hagi
8 MF  SCO Ryan Jack
9 FW  CRO Antonio ÄŒolak
10 MF  NIR Steven Davis
11 FW  WAL Tom Lawrence
14 MF  ENG Ryan Kent
16 DF  SCO John Souttar
17 FW  WAL Rabbi Matondo
18 MF  FIN Glen Kamara
19 MF  USA James Sands (on loan from New York City FC)
 
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 FW  COL Alfredo Morelos
23 FW  SCO Scott Wright
24 MF  NGA Nnamdi Ofoborh
25 FW  JAM Kemar Roofe
26 DF  ENG Ben Davies
28 GK  SCO Robby McCrorie
29 MF  NIR Charlie McCann
30 FW  ZAM Fashion Sakala
31 DF  CRO Borna Barišić
32 GK  SCO Kieran Wright
33 GK  SCO Jon McLaughlin
37 MF  CAN Scott Arfield
38 DF  SCO Leon King
44 DF  SCO Adam Devine
51 MF  SCO Alex Lowry
71 FW  USA Malik Tillman (on loan from Bayern Munich)

9.2. Out on loan

 
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 DF  POL Mateusz Å»ukowski (on loan at Lech PoznaÅ„)
34 DF  SCO Lewis Mayo (on loan at Kilmarnock)
41 FW  SCO Josh McPake (on loan at Queen's Park)
47 MF  AUS Murray Miller (on loan at Alloa Athletic)
52 GK  SCO Jay Hogarth (on loan at Alloa Athletic)
 
No. Pos. Nation Player
53 MF  SCO Cole McKinnon (on loan at Partick Thistle)
56 FW  ENG Tony Weston (on loan at Partick Thistle)
MF  SCO Kai Kennedy (on loan at Falkirk)
MF  SCO Ben Williamson (on loan at Dundee)
FW  COL Juan Alegría (on loan at Falkirk)

9.3. Retired and reserved numbers

Number 12 is reserved for the fans (often referred to as the 12th man)

10. Staff

.

10.1. Board of directors

Rangers F.C. is managed and owned through The Rangers Football Club Limited ("TRFCL") which is an affiliate of the company holding it, Rangers International Football Club Plc ("RIFC"). The latter corporation, RIFC, also owns various other companies related to Rangers which include Rangers Retail Ltd, Rangers Media Ltd and Garrion Security Services Ltd who are responsible for providing matchday protection at Ibrox Stadium.

As of 1 January 2022

Rangers International Football Club Plc
Position Name
Chairman  Douglas Park
Deputy Chairman  John Bennett
Company Secretary  James Blair
Non-Executive Director  Alastair Johnston
Non-Executive Director  Graeme Park
Non-Executive Director  Barry Scott
Non-Executive Director  George Taylor
Non-Executive Director  Julian Wolhardt

 

The Rangers Football Club Ltd
Position Name
Managing Director  Stewart Robertson
Company Secretary  James Blair
Commercial and Marketing Director  James Bisgrove
Communications Director  David Graham
Director of Football Administration  Andrew Dickson
Finance Director  Kenny Barclay
Sporting Director  Ross Wilson
 

10.2. First-team staff

As of 5 July 2022

Position Name
Manager  Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Assistant Manager  Dave Vos
First Team Coach  Roy Makaay
First Team Coach  Ceri Bowley
Goalkeeping Coach  Colin Stewart
Fitness Coach  Arno Philips
Performance Analyst  Yori Bosschaart
Club Scouts  John Brown
 Mervyn Day
 Andreas Fehse
 Piotr Kasprzak
Technical Scouts  George Charlton
 Alistair Clarke
 Chris Summersell
Loans Manager  Billy Kirkwood
First Team Analysts  Graeme Stevenson
 Seb Dunn
Head of Preparation  Craig Flannigan
Head of Strength and Conditioning  Paraskevas Polychronopoulos
Club Doctor Vacant
Head Physiotherapist Vacant
Rehabilitation Performance Coach  Eamon Swift
Masseur  David Lavery
Kit Executive  Jim McAlister

11. Managers

Seventeen players (including two who have been appointed twice) have served as managers of Rangers in the course of the club's time. Additionally, ten managers have managed Rangers on a temporary basis, while five were employed as secretaries who chose the team before the selection of its first manager who was full-time, William Wilton, in 1899.

The manager who served the longest has been Bill Struth, who served for 34 years and 26 days. Rangers have been coached by four foreign managers in their time: Dick Advocaat Paul Le Guen, Pedro Caixinha and the current Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Graeme Souness is the only manager of a player in Rangers their history. There are two players who have been reappointed: Jock Wallace and Walter Smith.

The manager with the highest success in terms of number of awards won, was Bill Struth, with eighteen League titles and Ten Scottish Cups and two League Cups. Rangers Another manager who had notable achievements is William Waddell, who won the European Cup Winners' Cup.

 

11.1. Rangers F.C. managers

 
Name Period
 William Wilton 1899–1920
 Bill Struth 1920–1954
 Scot Symon 1954–1967
 David White 1967–1969
 Willie Waddell 1969–1972
 Jock Wallace 1972–1978
 John Greig 1978–1983
 Jock Wallace 1983–1986
 Graeme Souness 1986–1991
 Walter Smith 1991–1998
 Dick Advocaat 1998–2001
 Alex McLeish 2001–2006
 Paul Le Guen 2006–2007
 Walter Smith 2007–2011
 Ally McCoist 2011–2014
 Mark Warburton 2015–2017
 Pedro Caixinha 2017
 Steven Gerrard 2018–2021
 Giovanni van Bronckhorst 2021–

12. Honours

.

12.1. Domestic honours

  • Scottish first-tier League Championships: 55 (record)
  • 1890–91, 1898–99, 1899–1900, 1900–01, 1901–02, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1917–18, 1919–20, 1920–21, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1936–37, 1938–39, 1946–47, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2020–21
    • Scottish second-tier League Championships: 1
    2015–16
    • Scottish third-tier League Championships: 1
    2013–14
    • Scottish fourth-tier League Championships: 1
    2012–13
    • Scottish Cup: 34
    1893–94, 1896–97, 1897–98, 1902–03, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1952–53, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2021–22
    • Scottish League Cup: 27 (record)
    1946–47, 1948–49, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1970–71, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11
    • Scottish Challenge Cup: 1
    2015–16

12.2. European honours

  • European Cup Winners' Cup: 1
    1971–72
    • Runners-up (2): 1960–61, 1966–67
  • UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League:
    • Runners-up (2): 2007–08, 2021–22
  • UEFA Super Cup:
    • Runners-up (1): 1972

12.3. Doubles and trebles

  • League Title, Scottish Cup, League Cup: 7
  • 1948–49, 1963–64, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1992–93, 1998–99, 2002–03
    • League Title and Scottish Cup: 11
    1927–28, 1929–30, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1949–50, 1952–53, 1962–63, 1991–92, 1995–96, 1999–2000, 2008–09
    • League Title and League Cup: 10
    1946–47, 1960–61, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1996–97, 2004–05, 2009–10, 2010–11
    • Scottish Cup and League Cup: 4
    1961–62, 1978–79, 2001–02, 2007–08

12.4. Notable statistics

Rangers became the first British side to reach a UEFA-sanctioned European final in 1961.

13. UEFA club coefficient rankings

As of 20 May 2022
Ranking Club Country 2021/22 Points Total Points National Association Points
30 Bayer 04 Leverkusen   14.000 53.000 15.042
31 Lazio   9.000 53.000 15.323
32 Slavia Prague   10.000 52.000 5.560
33 Rangers   19.000 50.250 7.380
34 Dinamo Zagreb   9.000 49.500 5.430
35 Braga   16.000 46.000 10.676
36 Red Star Belgrade   15.000 46.000 6.675

14. Notable former players

.

14.1. Club captains

Rangers F.C. captains
Name Period
 Tom Vallance 1876–1882
 David Mitchell 1882–1894
 John McPherson 1894–1898
 Robert Hamilton 1898–1906
 Robert Campbell 1906–1916
 Tommy Cairns 1916–1926
 Bert Manderson 1926–1927
 Tommy Muirhead 1927–1930
 David Meiklejohn 1930–1938
 Jimmy Simpson 1938–1940
 Jock Shaw 1940–1957
 George Young 1953–1957
 Ian McColl 1957–1960
 Eric Caldow 1960–1962
 Bobby Shearer 1962–1965
 John Greig 1965–1978
 Derek Johnstone 1978–1983
 John McClelland 1983–1984
 
Name Period
 Craig Paterson 1984–1986
 Terry Butcher 1986–1990
 Richard Gough 1990–1997
1997–1998
 Brian Laudrup 1997
 Lorenzo Amoruso 1998–2000
 Barry Ferguson 2000–2003
2005–2007
2007–2009
 Craig Moore 2003–2004
 Stefan Klos 2004–2005
 Gavin Rae 2007
 David Weir 2009–2012
 Steven Davis 2012
 Carlos Bocanegra 2012
 Lee McCulloch 2012–2015
 Lee Wallace 2015–2018
 James Tavernier 2018–

14.2. Greatest-ever team

The following team was named the best Rangers team by fans in 1999. The vote was first announced it was believed that younger voters would overlook the outstanding service of some of the players from the prewar era (notably the captain who was the most successful and the most successful manager this club ever has, Davie Meiklejohn and Bill Struth respectively). The ballot was announced Donald Findlay stated it would be restricted only to Second World War players because "few remember players from those earlier times":

  •  Andy Goram
  •  Sandy Jardine
  •  Richard Gough
  •  Terry Butcher
  •  John Greig – voted Rangers' greatest-ever player
  •  Brian Laudrup – voted Rangers' greatest-ever foreign player
  •  Paul Gascoigne
  •  Jim Baxter – voted Rangers' third greatest-ever player
  •  Davie Cooper
  •  Ally McCoist – voted Rangers' second greatest-ever player
  •  Mark Hateley

14.3. Scottish Football Hall of Fame

As of 1 June 2020, 33 players and managers to have been involved with Rangers in their careers have entered the Scottish Football Hall of Fame:

  •  John Greig – 2004 Inaugural Inductee
  •  Graeme Souness – 2004 Inaugural Inductee
  •  Sir Alex Ferguson – 2004 Inaugural Inductee
  •  Jim Baxter – 2004 Inaugural Inductee
  •  Willie Woodburn – 2004 Inaugural Inductee
  •  Alex McLeish – 2005 Inductee
  •  Willie Waddell – 2005 Inductee
  •  George Young – 2005 Inductee
  •  Alan Morton – 2005 Inductee
  •  Davie Cooper – 2006 Inductee
  •  Brian Laudrup – 2006 Inductee
  •  Sandy Jardine – 2006 Inductee
  •  Willie Henderson – 2006 Inductee
  •  Richard Gough – 2006 Inductee
  •  Walter Smith – 2007 Inductee
  •  Ally McCoist – 2007 Inductee
  •  Eric Caldow – 2007 Inductee
  •  Derek Johnstone – 2008 Inductee
  •  Bill Struth – 2008 Inductee
  •  David Meiklejohn – 2009 Inductee
  •  Mo Johnston – 2009 Inductee
  •  Andy Goram – 2010 Inductee
  •  Robert Smyth McColl – 2011 Inductee
  •  Terry Butcher – 2011 Inductee
  •  Bob McPhail – 2012 Inductee
  •  Scot Symon – 2013 Inductee
  •  Davie Wilson – 2014 Inductee
  •  Bobby Brown – 2015 Inductee
  •  Jock Wallace – 2016 Inductee
  •  Archie Knox – 2018 Inductee
  •  Ian McMillan – 2018 Inductee
  •  Tommy McLean – 2019 Inductee
  •  Colin Stein – 2019 Inductee

14.4. Scottish FA International Roll of Honour

The Scottish FA International Roll of Honour recognises players who have gained 50 or more international caps for Scotland. As of 1 July 2021, the 10 inductees to have won caps while playing for Rangers are:

  •  David Weir – 2006 Inductee, 69 Caps
  •  Kenny Miller – 2010 Inductee, 69 Caps
  •  Christian Dailly – 2003 Inductee, 67 Caps
  •  Richard Gough – 1990 Inductee, 61 Caps
  •  Ally McCoist – 1996 Inductee, 61 Caps
  •  George Young – 1956 Inductee, 54 Caps
  •  Graeme Souness – 1985 Inductee, 54 Caps
  •  Colin Hendry – 2001 Inductee, 51 Caps
  •  Steven Naismith – 2019 Inductee, 51 Caps
  •  Alan Hutton – 2016 Inductee, 50 Caps

14.5. Scottish Sports Hall of Fame

Three Rangers players have been selected in the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame, they are:

  •  Jim Baxter – 2002 Inductee
  •  John Greig – 2002 Inductee
  •  Ally McCoist – 2007 Inductee

14.6. Greatest-ever Ranger

John Greig was voted the greatest ever Rangers player in 1999.

He was announced as Honorary Life President in 2015.

15. Sponsors

As of August 2022

15.1. Official partners

  • Official Kit Manufacturer, Retail, Merchandise and Licensing Partner – Castore
  • Official Club Sponsor – 32Red
  • Official Upper Back of Shirt Sponsor and Logistics Partner – Seko Logistics
  • Official Lower Back of Shirt Sponsor – Socomec
  • Official Sleeve Partner – BOXT
  • Official Training Kit Partner – Unibet
  • Official Women's Partner – DCP Capital
  • Official Women's Front Of Shirt Partner – BioWaveGO
  • Official Academy Partner – Carrick Packaging
  • Official Lager Partner – Tennent's Lager
  • Official Wellness Partner – Vitality
  • Official Energy Partner – Utilita Energy
  • Official Digital Auction Supplier – MatchWornShirt
  • Official Video Gaming Partner – EA Sports

15.2. Associate partners

  • Official Snacking Partner – Cadbury
  • Official Women's Back Of Shirt Partner – TGI Fridays
  • Official Events Partner – Dundonald Links
  • Official Scotch Whisky Partner – Douglas Laing & Co.
  • Official Restaurant Partner – Black Rooster
  • Official Engineering Partner – Forrest Precision Engineering
  • Official Cyber Security Partner – NordVPN
  • Official Air Conditioning Partner – CSD Air Conditioning

15.3. Official suppliers

  • Official Business Travel Supplier – Destination Sport Travel
  • Official Supporter Travel Supplier – Corporate Travel Management Sport (CTM Sport)
  • Official Match Breaks Supplier – Sports Breaks
  • Official Television Supplier – Sky Sports
  • Official Catering Partner – Levy
  • Official Soft Drink Supplier – Coca-Cola
  • Official Hydration Partner – Lucozade Sport
  • Official Personal Care Supplier – Molton Brown
  • Official Rangers Legends Events Supplier – 5 Stars
  • Official Radio Partner – Go Radio
  • Official Sports Nutrition Partner – Applied Nutrition

15.4. Club & Federation partners

  • Official Club Partners – All India Football Federation, Hamburger SV, Bengaluru FC, and Orange County SC.
  • A full list of Rangers commercial partners and sponsors can be found on the official club website and in the Rangers matchday programme, available at every home game.