1993/94 season

ssblue

Well-Known Member
We won only half of our 44 league games. Unusual for champions.

Tims won only 15 of 44 to finish 4th.

Did not win any of our final 5 league games leading up to the cup final shit show.

Dumped out of Europe in the 1st round after the exploits of the previous season.

Probably only Hateley coming out of it with any real credit.

Weird season all round.
 
That’s an incredible statistic . Back then the league was definitley more competitive than it is now , with some half decent teams who could take points off us and them regularly
 
That’s an incredible statistic . Back then the league was definitley more competitive than it is now , with some half decent teams who could take points off us and them regularly
To be honest, that was when the league had become shite.
I would say pretty much since 1990 or thereabouts our football has pretty much been dire.
We had good runs and spells in say 92/93, 98-2000 under Advocaat, them in Seville and us in Manchester.
Other than that you’re looking at Hearts UEFA Cup Quarters around 88 or 89 and Dundee Utd UEFA final in 87.
Everything else from the rest has been pretty much dross.
 
To be honest, that was when the league had become shite.
I would say pretty much since 1990 or thereabouts our football has pretty much been dire.
We had good runs and spells in say 92/93, 98-2000 under Advocaat, them in Seville and us in Manchester.
Other than that you’re looking at Hearts UEFA Cup Quarters around 88 or 89 and Dundee Utd UEFA final in 87.
Everything else from the rest has been pretty much dross.
Both us and them in 2003 had teams on a completely different level to any team we or them had in the 25 years prior or 17 years since. With the exception of us 98-00.
 
Both us and them in 2003 had teams on a completely different level to any team we or them had in the 25 years prior or 17 years since. With the exception of us 98-00.

You think the 2003 team was better than the 1993 team?
 
You think the 2003 team was better than the 1993 team?
Absolutely.

1993 we had Nisbet, Murray and Gordon as regular contributors. The 1993 team was effectively the team in my OP with the difference being Ally fit for the season and scoring almost 50 goals.

2003 team blew it big time against Zizkov or would have went far in Europe.
 
Absolutely.

1993 we had Nisbet, Murray and Gordon as regular contributors. The 1993 team was effectively the team in my OP with the difference being Ally fit for the season and scoring almost 50 goals.

2003 team blew it big time against Zizkov or would have went far in Europe.

All about opinions, of course.
Mine is that the 1992-93 treble winners would have beaten the 2002-03 treble winners.

You can say the 2003 team had regular contributions from Maurice Ross, Kevin Muscat, Stephen Hughes, Stephen Thompson, etc too.

Both fantastic teams that I loved watching.
 
Did we not have a lot of injuries during this season?

Very few of the first team squad didn't go under the knife or suffer injuries that season. Worth remembering that from 1991 until summer 1994 we played an incredible amount of games - We played in every domestic game bar one in those 3 seasons. In the league alone we played 132 games.

Even the Ibrox pitch didn't escape. It was virtually brown with disease for half the 93/94 season.
 
Iirc three successive home defeats to AEK Athens;Falkirk;and the filth in the space of a week in August 93 too.
 
A host of injuries to key players contributed but we went on a pretty decent run which, if I remember correctly, meant the title was clinched with a few weeks to go. Don't think we won a game after it was won as players were either rested or simply switched off in terms of the league. Unfortunately we couldn't turn it back on for the cup final and lost out on an historic back to back treble thanks to one of the most ridiculous goals I have seen in a Cup Final. Probably only beaten by big McCloy's cross bar antics but at least we won on that occasion.
 
Did we not have a lot of injuries during this season?

That was our main problem as the players had run themselves into the ground in 92/93 and most of them spent 93/94 in the treatment room. Our recruitment that pre season was Duncan Ferguson who played left midfield in Europe then spent most of the season injured as we rushed him back from injury when he signed. We also signed Fraser Wishart who was a utility player who actually we got a decent turn out of.

Our saving grace was the form of Mark Hateley and Gordon Durie whose goals got us vital points. Highlights were beating the Tims at Ibrox in the lc semi and Hibs in the final plus the new year day beasting of the bheasts at the piggery.

Lowlights were going out in the 1st round in Europe and losing out on a treble to Dundee United.

It probably was the worse season in the 91ar run followed by 94/95 only because Laudrup arrived.
 
A host of injuries to key players contributed but we went on a pretty decent run which, if I remember correctly, meant the title was clinched with a few weeks to go.
We lost 1 game out of 26 between beginning of November and end of April. Only adds to the oddness of that season.
 
We lost 1 game out of 26 between beginning of November and end of April. Only adds to the oddness of that season.
Wasn't aware it was as good, or as long, a run as that just remember we seemed to have the title in the bag weeks before the cup final and failed to win a single game in that period.
 
Wasn't aware it was as good, or as long, a run as that just remember we seemed to have the title in the bag weeks before the cup final and failed to win a single game in that period.

Our last win came against Dundee United and we clinched the league at Easter road 10 days later losing to Hibs but only because Motherwell dropped points on the same night. It truly was a bizarre season as it was a pale imitation of the season before.
 
Some dreadful games that season. Going down 3-0 to Dundee United at Ibrox after 20 minutes, losing our long unbeaten home record to a newly promoted killie, Scottish cup final, Todorov...

Some brilliant highs though League cup wins against the sheep and the tims, 4-2 new years day tanking, super overhead kick.

A truly bizarre season.
 
Some dreadful games that season. Going down 3-0 to Dundee United at Ibrox after 20 minutes, losing our long unbeaten home record to a newly promoted killie, Scottish cup final, Todorov...

Some brilliant highs though League cup wins against the sheep and the tims, 4-2 new years day tanking, super overhead kick.

A truly bizarre season.

That Dundee United game was the absolute pits and Fergie spitting on Petric was conduct unbecoming of a Rangers player. That was the sort of game and result that would get managers the sack at most other clubs.
 
That Dundee United game was the absolute pits and Fergie spitting on Petric was conduct unbecoming of a Rangers player. That was the sort of game and result that would get managers the sack at most other clubs.

Two centre halves subbed injured within 30 minutes. Walter going absolutely tonto at Gough when he was subbed off because he had declared himself fit pre match when he clearly wasn't.
 
That Dundee United game was the absolute pits and Fergie spitting on Petric was conduct unbecoming of a Rangers player. That was the sort of game and result that would get managers the sack at most other clubs.
Most other clubs don’t sack managers who are top of the league and have just won 6 domestic trophies on the bounce..
 
Little wonder that when the big man ran out of steam and stopped scoring towards the end, the season went to shit.

As March fumbled into April and April stumbled into May, I was never that confident on Cup final day. In saying that, I never envisaged the farce that ensued between Maxwell and McPherson for the winning goal. Amateur doesn't even come close.
 
Some dreadful games that season. Going down 3-0 to Dundee United at Ibrox after 20 minutes, losing our long unbeaten home record to a newly promoted killie, Scottish cup final, Todorov...

Some brilliant highs though League cup wins against the sheep and the tims, 4-2 new years day tanking, super overhead kick.

A truly bizarre season.
That was my 2nd season going every week. Aged about 8 or 9. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Rangers didn't loose games back then
 
We won only half of our 44 league games. Unusual for champions.

Tims won only 15 of 44 to finish 4th.

Did not win any of our final 5 league games leading up to the cup final shit show.

Dumped out of Europe in the 1st round after the exploits of the previous season.

Probably only Hateley coming out of it with any real credit.

Weird season all round.

We were shattered after the previous season.

And spunked our entire summer budget on a big diddy we didn't need, who contributed zero.

It was a mess, and Hateley dragged us through it (as did Durrant in part).

Literally every other outfield player was walking wounded or utterly spent.
 
We won only half of our 44 league games. Unusual for champions.

Tims won only 15 of 44 to finish 4th.

Did not win any of our final 5 league games leading up to the cup final shit show.

Dumped out of Europe in the 1st round after the exploits of the previous season.

Probably only Hateley coming out of it with any real credit.

Weird season all round.
Dreadful season.
Kicked off with the debacle in Sofia and never recovered.
Mark Hateley carried us that whole season.

The Cup Final against Dundee Utd was horrendous to watch. We were never scoring that day.
 
That Dundee United game was the absolute pits and Fergie spitting on Petric was conduct unbecoming of a Rangers player. That was the sort of game and result that would get managers the sack at most other clubs.
Always remember this particular game due to how surreal it felt to see Rangers lose so heavily at home to a Scottish side and it was my birthday or thereabouts and always that meant a present of a ticket to the nearest home game to it.

We were also late in - think it was 0-2 by the time we got to our seats - and my dad got a speeding ticket for bursting a gut to get there in time which I mind him going tonto about afterwards when it came in the post.

Werder Bremen had mounted a comeback in the midweek prior to this game where they were 3-0n down to Anderlecht and came back to win 5-3 so that gave us and the folk around us hope that we might see a similar miracle that day. Sadly nothing of the sort materialised.

Thankfully these days stand out as they were the exception as opposed to the norm growing up supporting Rangers
 
That’s an incredible statistic . Back then the league was definitley more competitive than it is now , with some half decent teams who could take points off us and them regularly

‘93/94 and ‘94/95 we won in large part because there was no competition.

Celtic were a mess, Aberdeen had begun their decline and it was left to teams like Motherwell to put up something approximating a challenge.

In truth we won both titles in second gear.
 
‘93/94 and ‘94/95 we won in large part because there was no competition.

Celtic were a mess, Aberdeen had begun their decline and it was left to teams like Motherwell to put up something approximating a challenge.

In truth we won both titles in second gear.

Every big team team regressed between the 92/93 season and 94/95.

We were no exception. 94/95 would've been every bit as grim as 93/94 if Laudrup didn't sign.
 
Technically did not win the league at Easter road 93/94 Motherwell could still have caught us on goal difference a massive swing right enough so officially it was won at Kilmarnock after a 1-0 loss
Absolutely no celebration at all
 
Dreadful season.
Kicked off with the debacle in Sofia and never recovered.
Mark Hateley carried us that whole season.

The Cup Final against Dundee Utd was horrendous to watch. We were never scoring that day.
Losing at home to Kilmarnock early int he season was a sign of things to come. The players were all knackered by the end of the season but there did seem to be an attitude that it would come good despite how Rangers we’re playing in any match as well - maybe a wee bit of arrogance had crept in.

The performance of Mark Hateley that season can not be exaggerated - he was carrying Rangers all season, and every defence in the league was utterly terrified to face him for around 6 months. He was tearing defences to pieces and scoring goals with his head, from runs into the box, from passes to him. He was unplayable.

Looking back, I can’t understand why Smith stuck with Maxwell for so long. He was a bag of nerves if we were going intot he last quarter of an hour drawing or with a single goal advantage.. which spread through the team and into the stands.
The loss to the Bheggars at Halloween summed it up.
 
Was it St Johnstone who were relegated because we lost that game 1-0? They were raging as they thought we didn't try a leg.

I think the leagues were reconstructed with St Johnstone, Dundee and (I think) Raith Rovers all going down and only Falkirk coming up? So you could be right mate.
 
Hateley played at Easter road once at centre half think we may have lost
Also at Rugby park at the end of the season, we did lose that day - I was at it in the Killie end shame on me.

Killie had to win to be in pole position to stay up. Think they took about 10,000 to Easter Rd the following week. Changed days now when they can’t even get a full boys club team on freebies to turn up
 
Was it St Johnstone who were relegated because we lost that game 1-0? They were raging as they thought we didn't try a leg.

We saved Tommy Burns from being relegated. You could argue if they had gone down he wouldn't have got the Celtic job.
 
We saved Tommy Burns from being relegated. You could argue if they had gone down he wouldn't have got the Celtic job.
Think he would always have ended up at the piggery due to his incredible ability to keep a secret.
;)
 
9iar was a great era but 1993/94 and 1994/95 were the two worst seasons in that run. We took our foot off the pedal after winning the league and when it came to the cup final we just couldn't get out of first gear. Having said that, but for Maxwell's colossal blunder we probably should still have won it. Iirc we even won the league on a night we lost, against Hibs at Easter Road, but results elsewhere meant we couldn't be caught, which kind of summed it all up. There were some good games - the League Cup Final v Hibs, the scum on New Year's Day for example, but they were fewer than the previous seasons. It's not a season I look back on fondly to be honest.
 
Was that not the following season?

It was. Hateley played centre half three times

4-0 win v Raith in April 1994 (came on as a sub)
0-1 defeat to Killie in May 1994
1-2 defeat to Hibs in October 1994
 
First season I started going with my mates on the bus, so far that reason one of my favourites.
Thank God for Hateley, another highlight was the breakthrough of Charlie Miller, lowlight Ally Maxwell.
 
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