Rangers

Rangers were formed in March 1872 by four men in West End Park, which is now known as Kelvingrove Park. By 1878 they had already won their first major trophy, defeating Vale of Leven in the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup. The next year the first match between Rangers and Celtic was played, creating the foundation for the one of the fiercest rivalries in world football. 

In 1890 the Scottish Football League was created and from 1890 to 1920, Rangers won the league 10 times under manager William Wilton. In 1920, Bill Struth took over after Wilton passed, and went on to be Rangers’ most successful manager. He guided them to 14 league titles prior to the start of World War II. Struth continued to manage the club until 1954 and won more trophies than any other manager in Scottish Football history, winning the league 18 times, Scottish Cup 10 times, the League Cup twice, the war-time championships 7 times, the Glasgow Cup 19 times, and the Glasgow Merchant Charity Cup 17 times. Scot Symon replaced Struth in 1954 and continued his success, winning the league title 6 times, the Scottish Cup 5 times and the League Cup 4 times. 

Rangers saw an incredible run of form from 1988-89 season to the 1996-97 season, winning the league nine times in a row. This run included a final day finish in 1991 and a domestic treble in 1993.

In 2012 Rangers hit the hardest times in their history and filed for administration (bankruptcy). The club was taken over by new ownership who failed to transfer Rangers’ previous place in the Scottish Premier League, resulting in Rangers being placed in the 4th division on Scottish Football. When new ownership took over, many of the first team players neglected to stay, resulting in a completely new team for the 2012-13 season. Rangers clinched the Third Division title during their first season, promoting them to the Scottish League One. Rangers would secure promotion again the following year, moving them into the Scottish Championship for the 2014-2015 season. Rangers reached the play-off final, but failed to secure promotion. They went on to secure promotion the very next season getting them back to the Scottish Premiership for the first time since 2012. 

We will also pause here to tell you that, in the never-ending battle of banter between Rangers and Celtic, the latter seem to firmly believe that the current club called Rangers has no relation to the pre-bankruptcy club. Duly noted, Celtic fans! We will also simply note that the Scottish league, UEFA and FIFA all beg to differ.

In 2018 former Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard was hired as Rangers’ new manager and in 2021 he led them to their first league title in 10 years, ending the league campaign undefeated with a club record 102 points. Giovanni van Bronckhorst took over for Gerard in 2021 and led them to their first European final in 14 years, reaching the Europa League Final and ultimately falling against Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville, Spain.

2022-23 SEASON: 2nd in Scottish Premiership, Semifinals Scottish Cup, Champions League Group Stage.

2023–24 SEASON: Scottish Premiership, Europa League

The Rangers v. Celtic rivalry, known as the ‘Old Firm derby’, is one of the fiercest rivalries in world football. It has been around since 1879 and combines football, religion, and politics to create an environment that is about much more than simply the game.

As a game, though, it has happened more than 400 times, and it’s so competitive that Rangers lead by just a few wins overall. One of them has won the league every season but one since 1986, and in most of those seasons, the other finished second. One unfortunate development in recent years is each club cutting the allotment of tickets given to the other from around 7,000 to about 700, which has meant more money for each club but a greatly reduced atmosphere.

Honestly, it’s too much to even get into here. Check out this video for more.

Rangers W.F.C. were established in 2008 and play in the Scottish Women’s Premier League, Scotland’s top division of women’s football. Since their inception they have one the league twice, most recently in 2022, and have won the Scottish Women’s Premier League Cup of SWPL Cup once. They play their home games at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld, the home ground of Scottish Lowland League members Cumbernauld Colts and Broomhill.

Check the club’s website for fixture information.

One of their most memorable songs is the Rangers rendition of Tina Turner’s “The Best”, which started as a tradition in 1989 and has stuck with them ever since.

You will also hear, often during the pregame, “The Bouncy” where fans will loudly chant “Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, Na, na, na, na, na, na” and jump up and down in unison.

Ibrox Stadium, named after the area of Glasgow it is situated in, is truly a one of a kind classic football stadium. It was designed by famed football stadium architect Archibald Leitch and is the third largest stadium in Scotland with a capacity of 50,817. 

It was first opened as Ibrox Park in 1899 and after a wooden terrace collapse in 1902 all wooden terraces in the stadium were removed, reducing the capacity by about half. The stadium went through several renovations from the 1920s to the 1970s to increase the capacity significantly, but after several deadly crowd crushes in the late 60s and early 70s, it was renovated once more to create a safer environment for fans.

Ibrox has looked the same since its most recent renovation in the early 90s when the Main Stand Club Deck was added, and there are no current plans to renovate the stadium at this time.

TOURS: Rangers offer a stadium tour for £18.50 or a stadium tour/museum combo ticket for £25. You can learn more about the options here — and read below about when we took the tour.

Rangers FC Ibrox Stadium Tour

If you are a fan of classic old stadiums, you cannot miss the Rangers FC Stadium Tour at Ibrox Stadium.

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GETTING THERE: It’s a short walk from the Ibrox Subway Station, so that’s the way to go. It’s about 15 minutes from the city center; note you’ll be taking the Outer line there and the Inner back, as the Glasgow Subway is just one big loop. Just note that as the game gets closer, lines to board that train will be intense, so start early. The Ibrox Station is pretty small, so it will be a real mess after the game.

PUBS: Right out of the Subway you’ll be greeted by The Louden Tavern, a sprawling pub packed with photos and fans. That seems to be about the only thing in the immediate area, though.

GRUB: AS with pubs, there are not a ton of options around, so take care of eating the city center. If you want fish and chips, it seems the traditional choice is Blue Lagoon down by Glasgow Central station.

AROUND TOWN: Glasgow is a terrific city, well worth a couple days’ exploration. The area around Glasgow Central is packed with bars and restaurants, as well as Christmas displays during the season. Museums, galleries, parks, old buildings and pubs — all are in Glasgow, and there are great chances to get out and see the countryside, as well.