The History and Tradition of the Glasgow Rangers

By: Brian Link

One of the most popular soccer teams in Scotland is the Glasgow Rangers. The Rangers are a team deep in history and tradition. In 1872, the Glasgow Rangers were formed by two brothers, Peter and Moses McNeil, and their friends William McBeath and Peter McNeail. They chose the name for their soccer club by combing through a book on English rugby and borrowing from an existing team's name. The team saw limited action in their inaugural year with only a handful of friendly matches including a draw against Callander F.C. and an 11 to nil drubbing of Clyde.

Fast forward to more modern times and the Glasgow Rangers popularity has exploded. In 2006, Paul Le Geun took managerial control over the Rangers and went on a spree of signings for the team along with transactions that cleaned up some of the fat on the team. They struggled early on and, after a handful of defeats to lower level clubs, were removed from the League Cup. The Rangers cross-town rivals, the Glasgow Celtics, were dominate during this period which caused much agony for diehard Rangers fans.

Walter Smith was brought on in 2007 to replace Paul Le Guen. Smith brought on former Rangers player All McCoist to be his assistant manager.

The Glasgow Rangers have three primary colors: red, royal blue and white. Their home shirts are royal blue with white and red trim and the players wear white shorts with black socks. They occasionally will reverse parts of their uniform. For example, you can sometimes see the Glasgow Rangers playing in white socks and shorts that are royal blue in color.

The Rangers remain one of the most popular soccer clubs in all of Scotland, playing at any level, even though they split local attention and interest with the Glasgow Celtics. Thanks to the long history the Rangers have there are no signs of their popularity slowing down anytime soon.

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