Club Profile: Scottish Premier League Champions Rangers F.C.
Rangers were established as a professional football club in 1873; however, its foundations were laid down the year before by its founders Moses and Peter McNeil, Peter Campbell and William McBeath. Rangers have won more domestic league titles than any other football club in the world (53). They have won the Scottish League Cup a record 26 times, and the Scottish Cup 33 times. Along with Celtic, Rangers have dominated Scottish football almost completely, which has led to suggestions that both of these clubs should join the Barclays Premier League based in England rather than continue to play in the Scottish Premier League (SPL).
Rangers play their home games at the impressive Ibrox Stadium, which seats just over 51,000 supporters. Ibrox is one of the oldest and largest stadiums in all of the United Kingdom, and is recognized as having one of the best atmospheres during match days. The stadium is located in Glasgow and due to its affiliations with the city, Rangers are often referred to as Glasgow Rangers.
Although players and fans today come from many places over the world, with different faiths and beliefs, traditionally Rangers have a very strong Protestant Christian background. This had led to a very strong rivalry with Celtic, and the two clubs together are known as the Old Firm. Celtic have predominantly Catholic roots, and the rivalry between the two clubs is so intense that since the second World War, only five players have moved from one club to the other.
Furthermore, there have been a number of deaths after clashes between the supporters of the two clubs, since the rivalry exists more off the pitch than on it. The Scottish government carefully monitors the behaviour of both clubs and there is a very high police presence during the Old Firm matches, especially since they always end up deciding which team is going to win a trophy and which won't.
In recent years, Rangers have dominated the domestic scene, winning nine titles in a row from 1988 through to 1997. The first three titles were won under Graeme Souness, who was then replaced by Walter Smith, who went on to lead the club to six more titles in six seasons. Despite this amazing feat though, the club only managed to equal Celtic's record of nine straight wins but couldn't go on to win the tenth.
Rangers have struggled to turn this domestic dominance into good results in the European competitions. They have only won a European trophy once, when they defeated Dynamo Moscow in 1972 to lift the European Cup Winners’ Cup. In recent times, they came very close to winning the UEFA Cup in 2008, when they lost out to Zenit St. Petersburg 2-0 in the final in Manchester. According to estimates, about 150,000 Rangers fans made their way to Manchester for the final, of which very few actually had tickets. The extent of support the club commands, though, is still evident as very few clubs in Europe could match such numbers.
On the domestic front, the club has won the Scottish League title five times in the last decade, most recently in the last season. The club have also won the Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Cup on five different occasions during this time.
Next season could prove to be very difficult for the club, after losing their top scorer, Kris Boyd, to English side Middlesbrough, and a replacement apparently too expensive for the Glasgow club. Manager Walter Smith will be hoping that some of the club's younger players take on more responsibility in hopes of sustaining a stronger challenge in Europe, as well success domestically.
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