The Rangers Connection

Rangers Football Club has an obvious link to Northern Ireland, with a significant proportion of their fanbase making a regular pilgrimage across the Irish Sea to Glasgow...



Founded: 1872
Ground: 1890, Ibrox.

League History:
Founder Members Scottish League 1890/91-1891/93; First Division 1893/94-1938/39; A Division 1946/47-1955/56; First Division 1956/57-1974/75; Premier Division 1975/76-1997/98; Scottish Premier League 1998/99-2011/12; Third Division 2012/13-date.


Club Honours:
Scottish Premier League Champions (7) 1998/99, 1999/00, 2002/03, 2004/05, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, Runners-Up (6) 2000/01, 2001/02, 2003/04, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2011/12.
Scottish Football League Champions (47) 1890/91*, 1898/99, 1899/00, 1900/01, 1901/02, 1910/11, 1911/12, 1912/13, 1917/18, 1919/20, 1920/21, 1922/23, 1923/24, 1924/25, 1926/27, 1927/28, 1928/29, 1929/30, 1930/31, 1932/33, 1933/34, 1934/35, 1936/37, 1938/39, 1946/47, 1948/49, 1949/50, 1952/53, 1955/56, 1956/57, 1958/59, 1960/61, 1962/63, 1963/64, 1964/75, 1975/76, 1977/78, 1986/87, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1994/95, 1995/96, 1996/97, (* Shared with Dumbarton).
Champions of Scotland 54 times.
Scottish Cup Winners (33) 1894, 1897, 1898, 1903, 1928, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009; Runners-Up (17) 1877, 1879, 1899, 1904, 1905, 1921, 1922, 1929, 1969, 1971, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1994, 1998.
Scottish League Cup Winners (27) 1946/47, 1948/49, 1960/61, 1961/62, 1963/64, 1964/65, 1970/71, 1975/76, 1977/78, 1978/79, 1981/82, 1983/84, 1984/85, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1990/91, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1996/97, 1998/99, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2004/05, 2007/08, 2009/10, 2010/11, Runners-Up (7) 1951/52, 1957/58, 1965/66, 1966/67, 1983/84, 1989/90, 2008/09.
Glasgow Cup Winners (44), Runners-Up (18).


European Competitions:
European Cup entrants (13) 1956/57, 1957/58, 1959/60 (sf), 1961/62, 1963/64, 1964/65, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1978/79, 1987/88, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92.
Champions League entrants (16) 1992/93, 1994/95 (qual), 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98 (qual), 1999/00, 2000/01, 2001/02 (qual), 2003/04, 2004/05 (qual), 2005/06, 2007/08, 2008/09 (qual), 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12 (qual).
European Cup Winners' Cup Winners (1) 1971/72, Runners-Up (2) 1960/61, 1966/67; entrants (10) 1962/63, 1969/70, 1973/74, 1977/78, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1983/84.
UEFA Cup Runners-Up (1) 2007/08*, entrants (14) 1982/83, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1988/89, 1997/98*, 1998/99, 1999/00*, 2000/01*, 2001/02*, 2002/03, 2004/05*, 2006/07, 
UEFA Europa League entrants (2) 2010/11*, 2011/12*.
(* after elimination from the Champions League)
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup entrants (3) 1967/68, 1968/69 (sf), 1970/71.
European Super Cup Runners-Up (1) 1972 (unofficial).
Total seasons played in Europe 50. 



Players Capped by the Irish FA while at Rangers
......................RFC......League..........Caps
Player............. Career** .App/Gls .at RFC..Total 
John McClelland... 1981-1984.. 96/. 4 ....23 ..(53)
Steven Davis...... 2008-2011..140/ 18 ... 23 ..(still active)
Kyle Lafferty..... 2008-2011..104/ 31 ... 14 ..(still active)
Billy Simpson..... 1950-1958..172/115 ....12 ..(12)
Billy McCandless.. 1920-1929..202/. 8 .... 6 .. (9)
Bob Hamilton...... 1928-1931..116/. 0 .... 5 .. (5)
Bertie Manderson.. 1914-1926..370/. 0 .... 5 .. (5)
Alex Craig........ 1904-1910..101/. 0 .... 4 .. (9)
Jimmy Nicholl..... 1983....... 17/. 0 .... 3 ..(73)***
Alex Stevenson.... 1932-1933.. 12/. 7 .... 3 ..(17) 
Sam English....... 1931-1932.. 60/ 54 .... 2 .. (2)
Whitey McDonald... 1928-1937..184/. 2 .... 2 .. (2)
Brian McLean...... 2005........ 0/. 0 .... 1 .. (1)*
Andrew Little..... 2008-date ..................(still active)
David Healy....... 2010-date ..................(still active)

* Brian McLean won his only cap while on a seasons loan with Motherwell, which became permanent at the end of the loan spell.
** First team career, 1972=1972/73
*** Jimmy Nicholl had two spells at Rangers, he was capped during the first only. In his second spell (1986-1988) his League record was 56(2)/0.
# Excludes initial loan spell.

Other Rangers Players Capped by the Irish FA
Lee Feeney (0(1)/0 League), Darren Fitzgerald (0(1)/0 League), Paul McKnight (0(1)/0 League Cup), Stephen Carson (1(1)/0 League, 0(1)/0 FA Cup, 0(1)/0 League Cup), Ryan McCann (0/0 Total) and Brian McLean (0/0 Total) all won Under-21 caps while Rangers players.
Johnny Morrow (5/0 League, 0(1)/0 Europe) was a Bear when he won his only 'B' Cap.
In more recent times Wayne Drummond, Chris Hegarty and Andrew Mitchell have come through the Ibrox ranks.

Rangers Websites
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