Glasgow Rangers Greatest All-Time Team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

1972 Cup Winners' Cup Victory Parade

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

England, Scotland, Wales,
Ireland/Northern Ireland combined team,
Ireland, Northern Ireland,
United Kingdom.
Celtic
Scotland at the 1970 World Cup

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Rangers have won more league titles and trebles than any other club in the world, winning the league title 54 times, the Scottish Cup 33 times and the Scottish League Cup 27 times, and achieving the treble of all three in the same season seven times. Rangers were the first British club to reach a UEFA tournament final and won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1972 after being runner-up twice in 1961 and 1967. A third runners-up finish in Europe came in the UEFA Cup in 2008. Rangers have a long-standing rivalry with Celtic, the two Glasgow clubs being collectively known as the Old Firm.

Rangers won 9 league titles in row during the 1990's

Team
GK: Andy Goram (Scotland)
Andy Goram was voted as Glasglow Rangers' greatest keeper.  He played for them between 1991 and 1999.  He played for many clubs after his career with Rangers. His international career, however, was limited due to playing at the same time as Jimmy Leighton. He was capped 43 times.  He was selected for their squads at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, UEFA Euro 1992 and UEFA Euro 1996.

GK: Stefan Klos  (Germany)
Born in Dortmund, Stefan Klos arrived at Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 1990 summer, from neighbouring TSC Eintracht Dortmund. He played over 300 matches there.  He was the starting keeper that won the Champions' league in 1996.  He joined Glasgow Rangers in 1998, where he stayed until 2007. He was one of the highest paid footballers in Europe, when he joined Rangers.  

GK: Peter McCloy (Scotland)
Peter McCloy played for Motherwell and Rangers. He was a member of the Rangers team which won the 1972 Cup Winners Cup, and was Rangers' first-choice goalkeeper for most of his 16-year spell at the club despite competition from players such as Gerhardt Neef, Stewart Kennedy and Jim Stewart. Capped 4 times.

RB:  Sandy Jardine (Scotland)
Sandy Jardine played for Rangers from 1965 to 1982.  He won the Scottish Football Writers Association Player of the Year award twice and was part of the Rangers team that won the 1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup. He was capped 38 times.  He played another 6 seasons with Heart of Midlothian between 1982 and 1988. He had 38 caps. He appeared at the World Cup Finals in 1974 and 1978. 

Sandy Jardine

RB/LB: Eric Caldow (Scotland)
Eric Caldow palywed for Rangers from 1952 and 1966. He was a key player as Rangers reached the Final of the 1961 Cup Winners' Cup. Caldow played 40 times for Scotland – 29 at left back and 11 at right – and captained them for three years. He went to the WC Finals in 1958.

CB: Jock Drummond (Scotland)
Drummond joined Rangers in 1892 from Falkirk. He went on to win five Scottish Cup medals (1894, 1897, 1898, 1899 and 1903) and four consecutive league titles (1898-99, 1899-1900, 1900-01 and 1901-02) - the first of which Rangers won all 18 of their Scottish league matches. Drummond was also capped 14 times by Scotland between 1892 and 1903, being captain on four occasions. He is notable for being the last outfield player in Scottish football to wear a cap while playing.

CB: Richard Gough (Scotland)
Gough enjoyed successes with Dundee United before moving to Tottenham Hotspurs.  Gough joined Rangers in 1987 and becoming the first Scottish player to be signed for over £1,000,000.  He captained Rangers to nine successive Scottish league championships. In 1996, he joined MLS. Gough played in 2 World Cups, 1986 and 1990, and captained his country in the 1992 European Championships, in his birthplace, Sweden.

CB: Terry Butcher (England)
Butcher was one of England's greatest defenders. He captained the England national team, winning 77 caps and played in three World Cups. Butcher also enjoyed success in his club career, particularly with Ipswich Town and Rangers. With Ipswich, he was a part of Bobby Robson's team that won the UEFA Cup in 1981. In 1986, he joined Rangers as one of the first wave of English players playing for Graeme Souness' Rangers in the 1980's.

CB/RB: George Young (Scotland)
Born in 1922, George Young started his career with Rangers in 1941. He was often played at right back to accommodate Willie Woodburn in Rangers' renowned Iron Curtain defence. Rangers became the first side to win all three trophies in the same season in 1948–49.  He was capped 54 times between 1946 and 1957. He was not allowed to play in the 1954 World Cup Finals because Rangers had a tour at the same time.

George Young 1948 Scottish Cup Final

CB: Willie Woodbun (Scotland)
Willie Woodburn played for Rangers from 1938 to 1954.  After the war he established himself in the Rangers side and won four League Championships with the club. He appeared in the first Scottish League Cup Final in April 1947, when Rangers beat Aberdeen 4-0. He earned 24 caps for Scotland and also appeared Scottish League XI 7 times.

LB/CB: John Greig (Scotland)
Greig played his entire career with Rangers.  He was voted as the greatest Ranger ever by the fans in 1999.  He scored 120 goals for the club and won three domestic trebles. Greig actually started his career with Rangers as a forward before moving to the defense. He won the 1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup. He was capped 44 times.  He led Scotland in a famous victory over England, their first defeat as World Cup winner at Wembley. 

CB/ST/CM: Derek Johnstone (Scotland)
Johnstone mainly played as a striker but could also play in central defence, and in midfield. He spent most of his career with Rangers, but also played briefly with Chelsea and Dundee United. He made his debut with Rangers at the age of 16 in 1970.  He was a part of the team that won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1972. He earned 14 caps and went to Argentina 1978.

CM: Graeme Souness (Scotland)
Graeme Souness played for Tottenham Hotspur, Middlesbrough and Sampdoria, but his greatest achievement came while he played for Liverpool. He was one of the greatest ever Liverpool players.  He won three European Cups with them(1977–78, 1980–81, 1983–84), captaining the team in the early 1980's.  In 1986, He became the Player-Manager for Glasgow Rangers. He also earned 54 caps for Scotland and played in three World Cup Finals.

Graeme Souness

CM: Barry Ferguson (Scotland)
Ferguson spent most of his career at Rangers in two spells between playing for Blackburn Rovers. He totalled 431 games and 60 goals for Rangers, whom he captained from 2000. Ferguson won the Scottish Premier League, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup five times apiece for Rangers, including a treble in 2003 which earned him the honour of SFWA Footballer of the Year. He also helped them to the 2008 UEFA Cup Final.

CM/LM: Jim Baxter  (Scotland)
Jim Baxter was the best Scottish players in the 1960's.  He was known for his performances against England at an era where England won the World Cup.  He helped Scotland beating England many times. Baxter was known for his career with Rangers.  Nicknamed "Slim Jim", he won 10 titles with them. He moved to Sunderland in 1965 and then, Nottingham Forest in 1967.


RW: Willie Henderson (Scotland)
He was also part of the Rangers team that got to the finals of the 1960–61 and 1966–67 Cup Winners Cup competitions, and was part of the Rangers campaign that won the trophy in the 1972 season, but he had left Rangers just prior to the Final against Dinamo Moscow, having fallen out with manager Willie Waddell. Henderson signed for Sheffield Wednesday for the 1972–73 season and spent three years playing in Hong Kong. Capped 29 times.  He earned his first cap as a 18 years old.

Willie Henderson

RW/AM/SS: Brian Laudrup (Denmark)
Brian Laudrup won the Danish Footballer of the Year award a record four times.  He played 82 games and scored 21 goals for Denmark, and was a key player of the Danish teams who won the Euro 1992 and 1995 Confederations cup. For club football, he played with Brondy, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Forientina, Ajax, Chelsea, Glasgow Rangers, etc. He is Michael Laudrup's brother.

LW: Alan Morton (Scotland)
Alan Morton was an early star player for Scotland.  He was part of the "Wembley Wizards" after Scotland beat England 5-1 in 1928.  Between 1913 and 1920, he played for Queen's Park F.C. as an amateur. In 1920, he turned professional by joining Rangers. He won the Scottish Football League in 1921, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1931, and as a Scottish Cup winner in 1930.

LW: David Cooper (Scotland)
David Cooper played as a winger for Clydebank (twice), Rangers and Motherwell. He scored a memorable goal against Celtic in the 1979 Drybrough Cup Final. It was voted the greatest ever Rangers goal by Rangers fans and listed by The Guardian's Rob Smyth as the second greatest ever solo goal, after Diego Maradona's Goal of the Century. He was capped 22 caps and played in 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico.

David Cooper

AM: Paul Gascoigne (England)
Gazza was the most gifted player of his generation, but his career was marked controversy and injuries.  He played for Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Lazio.  In 1995, he joined Rangers with a club record fee. He had a successful career at Rangers. He went to play for many clubs all over the world.  For England, he earned 57 times.  He was remembered for the tears in his eyes as he received his yellow card against West Germany in the semi-final.

ST: John McPherson (Scotland)
McPherson played with Kilmarnock FC and Cowlairs before he joined Rangers in 1890 for the inaugural Scottish League season.  His first League appearance was in Rangers' first ever Scottish League match, on 16 August 1890 against Hearts at Ibrox, in which McPherson scored.  Rangers won their first league title in the 1898–99 season, winning all of their 18 League matches, with McPherson netting 10 times. That remarkable season was the first of four consecutive League titles. 

ST: RC Hamilton  (Scotland)
In 1896, Hamilton became a student at the University of Glasgow. From 1897 to 1907, he played for Rangers. He was the club's top goalscorer for 9 consecutive seasons. He was top scorer, played every match and captained the team during the 1898–99 season, in which they won every match. He earned 3 more League winners medals, and two more Scottish Cup medals. He earned 11 caps, scoring 15 goals, 4 of which came at the famous 11-0 win over Ireland in 1901.

ST: Bob McPhail (Scotland)
During McPhail's 12 years at Ibrox, he won 9 League championships and 6 Scottish Cups - a joint record number of Scottish Cup wins for a Rangers player with Dougie Gray and a record shared with former Celtic stars Jimmy McMenemy and Billy McNeill. He scored a total of 230 League goals in 354 League games for the club, a record which stood for over 50 years. 

ST: Mark Hateley (England)
Mark Hateley made his name with Coventry and Portsmouth before moving to AC Milan in 1984.  He played with AS Monaco before moving to Rangers in 1990. He won both SFWA and PFA Players of the Season for the 1993-1994 season. He won six league titles. He earned 32 caps, and went to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico 1986 and the European Championship in 1988.

ST: Ally McCoist (Scotland)
McCoist played with St Johnstone and Sunderland. In 1983, he signed with Rangers. He had a highly successful spell with Rangers, becoming the club's record goalscorer and winning nine successive league championships. He won both SFWA and PFA Players of the Season for the 1991-1992 season. He won two European Golden Shoe. McCoist was inducted into the Scotland Football Hall of Fame, having gained 61 international caps.

Mark Hateley and Ally McCoist

Honorable Mention
Bobby Brown (Scotland), Chris Woods (England), Gary Stevens (England), Lorenzo Amoruso (Italy), Willie Wadell (Scotland), David Weir (Scotland), Arthur Numan (Netherlands), Kai Johansen (Denmark), Ronald De Boer (Netherlands), Jorge Albertz (Germany), Ian Durrant (Scotland), Colin Stein(Scotland), Michael Mols (Netherlands), Sandy Archibald (Scotland), Peter McCloy(Scotland), Jimmy Fleming (Scotland), Jim Forrest (Scotland), Bob McPhail (Scotland), Ralph Brand (Scotland), Ray Wilkins (England), Jock Shaw(Scotland), Ian McColl, Sammy Cox, Mo Johnston (Scotland).

Squad Explanation
-- Alan Morton and Jim Baxter are among the greatest Scottish players ever played for Rangers. John Greig was voted by the fans as the greatest Rangers.  They are automatic selections. Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup have name recognition outside the United Kingdom.  They are the biggest names ever to play on this team. The same applied to Graeme Souness and Terry Butcher.  
-- The 1971 Cup Winners Cup is their only Europe honours at this point.  I have 5 players from that team over here: Willie Henderson, Sandy Jardine, Derek Johnstone and John Greig.  
-- Rangers also reached the final of the 1960 and 1967 Cup Winners Cup.  Some of the players from the 1971 team also played on the 1967 final against Bayern Munich. For the 1960 Final, Jim Baxter is the only player selected to this all-time team.
-- Graeme Souness as the manager transformed Rangers into probably the best club in United Kingdom.  He was able to lure many great players especially English players to play for Rangers.  Up until Souness's tenue over here, it was rare for English players to play in Scotland.  
-- Glasgow Rangers won 9 straight league titles from 1988 to 1997.  Souness was in charge between 1986 and 1991, and Walter Smith managed the team from 1991 to 1998. I selected the following players from that period to this all-time team: Paul Gascoigne, Mark Hately, Ally McCoist, Richard Gough, Terry Butcher, Andy Goram and Brian Laudrup.  Gary Stevens, Chris Wood and Ray Wilkins all made honorable mention.
-- Graeme Souness came to Rangers as a player at the end of his career.  He had some disciplinary problems on the field.  However, Souness as a player-coach was symbolic for the club in one of their most glorious period in the club's history. I do not think many Rangers fans would question his inclusion to this team.  So I selected him as a player as well.
-- Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup played together over here.  They were simply brilliant. Mark Hateley and Ally McCoist were also well-known as partners on the field.
-- I have difficulty choosing between Stefan Klos, Bobby Brown and Chris Woods for the third keeper. Woods should be the third keeper because of his association of Souness' era, but I noticed Klos was ranked higher on many lists.  Bobby Brown was the goalkeeper from the "Iron Curtain" defence( see below).
-- In 1948-49, Rangers became the first team to win the "treble"( League, the Scottish Cup, and the League Cup).  Much of their successes came from their famous defence nicknamed "Iron Curtain". Willie Woodbun and George Young made this all-time team.  As mentioned, Bobby Brown was their goalkeeper.
-- Barry Ferguson took the team to 2008 UEFA Cup Final.  It was a big achievement for a club with limited successes in Europe.  So I wanted someone from that team to be here.  I took him over Ray Wilkins.
-- The name Mo Johnston would be controversial topic anywhere in Scottsh club football's history.  His career here would be linked with his transfer.  I think he did good enough to earn a honorable mention as a player.  I did not put him there because he broke the barrier as the first high profile Catholic player to join the club.
-- I tried to mix this squad with older and modern players, but I have problems rating the older players. Dougie Gray was a fullback, but I did not know which side of te field. 

-- I do not know how to rate Sandy Archibald, Neilly Gibson, Nicol Smith and David Meiklejohn against the modern players.  I was able to select RC Hamilton and John McPherson from the 19th century because their names appeared frequently.

-- In that era, Willie Henderson was comparable to Jimmy Johnstone.  The Rangers fan considered him better than Johnstone.  To be fair, Johnstone's performance with Tartan Army was inferior to his performance at the club level.  

Formation