As a fan ( of any club ) we live and breathe football. We celebrate the good and vent over the bad and ugly. My first game as a Glasgow Rangers fan was as a 10 year old in the 1978 season when we drew with Partick Thistle 0-0.
My first Scottish Cup Final was the 1980-1981 season against Dundee Utd and we drew 0-0. Unfortunately, we couldn’t afford tickets for the replay. My first Cup Final with my mates was the 1982-1983 season against Aberdeen when we lost 1-0.
I’ve seen Rangers just miss out in a place in the final of the first ever Champions League. I’ve seen Rangers lose in 2 European Finals:- 2007-2008 against Zenit and 2021-2022 against Eintracht Frankfurt. I’ve seen the fans turn against club legends such as Jock Wallace, Ally McCoist and John Grieg.
I’ve seen us lose 28 Scottish League Titles.
I’ve seen us lose 7 Scottish Cup Finals.
I’ve seen us lose 5 Scottish League Cup Finals.
I seen the emergence of the New Firm in the early 80s.
I’ve seen us demoted to the bottom of Scottish football.
I’ve seen Celtic win 9 in a row.
I’ve witnessed terrible managers – Caixinha and Beale.
I’ve seen some terrible players in a Rangers shirt – Ian Black and Kevin Kyle to name but 2.
All of the above are negatives in the life of a fan (and especially my 46 years following The Famous). Now flip the above on its head.
A boring 0-0 in my first game. Did this put me off? No. Loved every minute of it. From travelling to and from the game on the supporters bus with my dad to being inside Ibrox for the first time. Rangers went on to win the replay 4-1 in 1980-1981 and I’ll never forget listening to the game on the radio and cheering on the goals as if I was there.
What a buzz traveling to a Cup final with my mates for the first time. Memories from that first ever Champions League will last forever. From the Battle of Britain to a Nisbett wonder (lucky?) goal!
The European runs were as magnificent as they were unexpected. We’ve now watched Rangers climb from a low of 296 UEFA ranking to a high of 25. And who doesn’t love Europa League Thursdays?
I’ve seen John Grieg and Jock Wallace lift Cups as managers. I’ve seen Super Ally doing what he does best on numerous occasions and score goals for Rangers.
I’ve seen us win 18 Scottish League Titles.
I’ve seen us win 12 Scottish Cups.
I’ve seen us win 19 League Cup Finals.
I’ve seen us win 3 trebles.
I’ve seen the Souness revolution first hand and everything that brought. I’ve seen us fight our way back up through the leagues with one of the most loyal fan bases in British football playing their part. I’ve seen us triumph on Helicopter Sunday when we all bought into Big Marvins “keep believing”.
I’ve seen Rangers win 9 in a row. I’ve seen us stop 10 in a row. I’ve been privileged to see Smith, Advocaat and Big Eck teams. I’ve witnessed some brilliant players in a Rangers jersey from Super Ally, Davie Cooper, Laudrup, Gascoigne and more.
The positives for me as a fan always outweigh the negatives. In times of crisis, it’s always difficult to keep the faith. Or fully support or not find fault with the board, manager and players.
At the same time, we shouldn’t just blindly ‘Follow Follow’ because we have won trophies in the past or have memories that will last a lifetime. Change is inevitable at a club with fans who demand and have expectations of a club of the stature of Rangers in Scotland.
As fans we aren’t entitled to anything. At the same time, we expect certain standards to be adhered to, on and off the park. During a rebuild we expect progress, whether that’s baby steps or huge leaps forward.
Right now under Clement we seem to be one step forward, 2 steps back. Since Gerrard left we have lurched from one crisis to the next. Gio, Beale and now Clement. None of us want managers sacked as it means we have failed again. In the coming week, the Board, as the custodians of our club have a huge decision to make;
Stick or twist?
Written by MrPotatoHead October 31 2024 19:02:30
