@erskblue @Scott @The Rising Sun @carrickblue and everyone else A Very Merry Christmas. We are the people.

5 hours ago, Boyne said:

That takes me back.😀1974-75 ?

 

Pretty sure I have some of these ‘Playing for Rangers’ Annuals from the 1970s, up in up my loft.

Edited December 24, 20241 yr by erskblue

Merry Christmas  to all the regulars on here!😀

 

John Greig has just scored the only goal of the game,against St Mirren at Ibrox on 26th December 1970.

The ‘wee blue cars’ at the Copland Road End, caught my eye in this picture.

Edited December 26, 20241 yr by erskblue

Some snowy conditions at Ibrox that day back in January 1973! 😀

 

Edited December 29, 20241 yr by erskblue

Loads of Rangers greats in this picture.

7 hours ago, Boyne said:

Loads of Rangers greats in this picture.

In that 1950-51 season, Rangers played Hibs at Ibrox with an official attendance of 102,342!

This was in the Third  Round of the Scottish Cup. 10th February 1951.

Rangers and Hibs had played at Ibrox  in front of an official attendance of 101,209!

This was a League game which ended as a 0-0 draw on 29th April 1950. Rangers won the League Championship by a point from Hibs that 1949-50 season.

Edited December 29, 20241 yr by erskblue

Game was played nine years after the club was formed so the 'ancients' would still have been relatively young and probably most were still playing albeit not for Rangers. The score in the game was 3-3.

7 hours ago, Boyne said:

Game was played nine years after the club was formed so the 'ancients' would still have been relatively young and probably most were still playing albeit not for Rangers. The score in the game was 3-3.

After Rangers left the Kinning Park Ground. The land was used for a sawmill.

Today the Eastern Lanes of the M8 Motorway cover the area of the Kinning Park Ground.

 

The first Ibrox Park.

THE MOVE TO IBROX

It was a move in 1887 that was met with much criticism from those outwith the club. Many thought it was the start of a decline. With Ibrox being so far removed from the city, unbelievable when considering how the area looks today, they were disbelieving that the club’s following would be able to support the club in the way they had done previously.

This was also a concern that was raised internally. It was the younger brother of Tom Vallance, Alex, who prominently made the case for Ibrox, predicting that the industrialisation of the city would grow towards the south. He was, of course, proven correct. 

The first Ibrox Park was situated on an adjacent site to Rangers current home.

 Rangers’ growth and prosperity as an institution can generally be neatly encapsulated in Ibrox, most notably from the construction of the Main Stand at second Ibrox in 1929, or being at the forefront of the development of all-seater stadiums in Britain during the 1970’s and 80’s.

It’s a trend that is evident even in our earliest years.

Where most football grounds had previously been constructed of predominantly brick and wood, a prominent feature of first Ibrox was the extensive use of corrugated iron. 

A quarter-milerunning track was constructed around the perimeter of the pitch that was used by local athletics clubs.

There were initially plans to install tennis courts in the areas behind each of the goals, but these went unfulfilled. 

In the north-east corner, by Copland Road, sat the pavilionwith a large veranda, complete with ornate fencing. 

Both dressing rooms were kitted out with wooden lockers, andleading off the home dressing room was the committee room. 

There was also the grandstand. It ran 300 feet long with 6 tiers of seating. A wooden railing surrounded the perimeter of the pitch with raised ground running backwards from this fencing to up to 4 terraces in some parts.

In total, it was believed the ground had the ability to accommodate 15,000 spectators. 

Each end of the grandstand was marked with 2 large flagpoles which flew the Rangers club flag and the Scottish Royal Standard. 

The ground, which had largely been developed by Fred Brabyand Co, was formally opened with a cake and wine banquet hosted by legendary club man and restaurateur, Tom Vallance. The first football match to be played at Ibrox was to be a gala occasion, and it required top opposition to suit. 

Preston North End were somewhat of a controversial club in English football. In the debate surrounding the game’s professionalism, it was undeniable that Preston and other Lancashire clubs had been enticing the best players with the promise of work and other assets, not uncommon was public houses.

 A threat by many English clubs to breakaway eventually forced the FA to legalise professionalism in 1885. Scotland was a ripe recruiting ground for North End. 

With the SFA slow off the mark to follow the lead of the FA, it created a one-way flow of outstanding footballers travelling from Scotland to England who were able to earn the rewards their talents warranted. Major William Sudell, the man in-charge at Deepdale, hatched a plan that revolved around PNE being primary beneficiaries of who were to become known as the Scotch Professors. 

Perhaps they didn’t know it at the time, even although they were one of the main players in English football, but Prestonwere on the cusp of greatness. The following season, theywere founding members of the Football League, winning the first edition without dropping a single point.

The team had the title of “Invincibles” bestowed upon them. 

Lineups

The team’s who had the honour of opening the first Ibrox Park on 20^th August 1887 were as follows: 

Rangers: W. Chalmers; Donald Gow and John McCartney, John Cameron, John “Tuck” McIntyre and John Muir; Brown, Andrew Peacock, Alick McKenzie, Willie Pringle and Bob Brand. 

Preston North End: James Trainer; Nick Ross and Bob Howarth, Sandy Robertson, David Russell and Weir; Gordon, Jimmy Ross, John Goodall, Fred Dewhurst and George Drummond. 

Contemporary reports state that it was believed there were as many as 30,000 people present. Trains ran from St Enoch station to Ibrox from 1430 in-time for the 1545 kick-off. 

Edited December 30, 20241 yr by erskblue