There’s a certain kind of Rangers story you don’t hear as often now, and it’s the kind that starts with getting a lift to Ibrox, being ushered to the front as a wee kid, and just hoping the crowd doesn’t surge too much when the place erupts.
That’s the bit people forget when we talk about “the good old days”. A lot of it was brilliant, aye, but some of it was chaos as well. The fact you could end up at the front because folk simply wanted children to see tells you everything about the warmth of the support and the slightly mad way football was organised back then.
When the matchday felt like one big city trip
Even the travel sounds like it belonged to another era. Supporters buses being shared with Celtic fans because both teams were playing in Glasgow on the same day is hard to picture now. It speaks to a time when football rivalry was still fierce, but day-to-day it could be a bit more mixed and, in its own way, more normal.
The detail about taking turns on the microphone to belt out a song is pure throwback. You can see how that sort of thing shapes your outlook. If you’ve grown up around that, maybe it’s harder to see the other lot as nothing but villains 24/7. Rivalry will always be rivalry, but experiences like that do leave a mark.
People forget Rangers didn’t always dominate
There’s another truth in your memories that’s worth saying out loud: Rangers have had spells where we were chasing. For a chunk of that period, finishing second was the ceiling, and the 70s and 80s could be a grind in league terms with regular finishes down in the places that don’t feel like Rangers at all.
That’s why older fans can have a different view of what “normal” looks like. If you’ve lived through Rangers being second best for long spells, you don’t take sustained success for granted. You appreciate it, but you also understand how quickly things can change.
Money mattered, but so did timing
The point about things improving after the Lawrence Group came in during 1986 is fair, and it’s honest. Money changed the game, especially in Scotland. Better players cost more, stronger squads cost more, and the clubs that could invest tended to find consistency.
But there’s also the wider backdrop you mention. Football never happens in a vacuum. European football, who’s allowed in it, and what the wider landscape looks like can all tilt the table a bit. It doesn’t erase what Rangers achieved in later years, but it does remind you success is usually a mix of good decisions, resources, and the moment you happen to be in.
That’s what makes these memories valuable. They’re not just nostalgia. They’re a reminder that Rangers have been through different versions of themselves, and the support has always found a way to carry it.
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