A football
force arrives'
by DIXON BLACKSTOCK, of the "Glasgow Evening Citizen"
from Gareloch, that the team be called
Rangersa title to which he had taken a
fancy after reading about the exploits of
an English RUGBY team of that name!
One of the earliest problems en
countered by the new club was to find
a ball to play with. William McNeil,
brother of Moses, had one in his
possession but when some of the
younger men voiced the opinion he was
too old to play William promptly lifted
the ball and marched off declaring: 'If
you can't have meyou can't have my
ball'.
Which must surely be the oldest
recorded version of a saying which has
lasted through the century and can still
be heard, maybe in slightly different
tones, in thousands of back streets and
football pitches all over Scotland.
A whipround solved the problem, and
William eventually came back into the
fold to play a great part as a wing-half
in the early days of Rangers. The team
which fought those early first battles
for the club was generally this line-up:
J. Yuill; T. Vallance, P. McNeil: W.
McBeth and W. McNeil; M. McNeil,
P. Campbell, G. Phillips, J. Watson, D.
Gibb and J. Campbell.
It was a 2-2-6 line-up in those days,
a formation which will bring a pang of
longing to many of the older generations
who view with displeasure the current
formations of 4-3-3 or 4-4-2.
The first games were played at
Fleshers' Haugh at Glasgow Green, the
first of five grounds used by the club,
the others being Burnbank, Kinning
Park, Old Ibrox and Ibrox (opened in
December 1899).
It was in season 1876—77 that Ran
gers first served notice that a new football
force had arrived in Scotland. The
youngsters battled through to the final
of the Scottish Cup final to meet Vale
of Leven at Hamilton Crescent
Vale were one of the great teams of
the time, and on the way to the final
had inflicted the first-ever defeat on
Queen's Park by a Scottish club. It
looked a formality for the strong Vale
side, but the Final produced three
tremendous, controversial games before
Vale finally won 3-2 in the third match,
which was played at Hampden. Rangers
led 2-1 at one point, but the more
experienced Vale side finished stronger. continued overleaf
OFGLORY!
When the Scottish Cup was won
three seasons in succession1947
48. 1948—49. 1949-50. these players
took part in the three Cup com
petitions. Back RowW. Waddell,
McColl. G. Young. R. Brown. W.
Woodburn. S. Cox. SeatedW.
Williamson. W. Thornton, J. Shaw
(Captain). J. Duncanson. E. Ruther
ford. Scottish Cup.
In 1878-79 the teams again met in
the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden, and
this was a tie which produced a sen
sation at the time. The game finished
1—1, but Rangers felt so strongly about
a goal which had been disallowed for
offside that they protested to the S.F.A.
Their appeal was dismissed and a
replay ordered. But when Vale turned up
for the game. Rangers were not present.
They felt so strongly that they simply
gave up the prize and Vale took to the
field and walked the ball into the empty
net at one end to be declared winners.
A few weeks later the clubs met
again in another Finalthe Glasgow
Charity Cup and this time Rangers were
victorious by 2-1
5
