3 European finals in 11 years

I'm an ancient bear. Rangers were a big club, well known and respected throughout the world. Then European tournaments started and we realised we were miles behind. 3 finals in 11 years, but I also remember losing 12 4 to Frankfurt, 8 4 to Spurs and losing to bang average sides.
The last 6 years have been the most consistent period in our European history, albeit at a lower level. The expansion of the UCL has thrown money towards the richest nations, putting us further behind.
 
sheddensbear said:
I'm an ancient bear. Rangers were a big club, well known and respected throughout the world. Then European tournaments started and we realised we were miles behind. 3 finals in 11 years, but I also remember losing 12 4 to Frankfurt, 8 4 to Spurs and losing to bang average sides.
The last 6 years have been the most consistent period in our European history, albeit at a lower level. The expansion of the UCL has thrown money towards the richest nations, putting us further behind.
Click to expand...
Brilliant piece mate
Must have been exciting to have witnessed those finals

I didn’t know of the spurs result though, heard of the Frankfurt games sadly
 
Should we of maybe modernised a bit and focused more on European success, rather than domestic?

1 less European trophy than Aberdeen is a disgrace.
 
60 years ago and I still can’t get over the Inter Milan European Cup game!

We’d lost Jim Baxter with a leg break in Vienna in the previous round, lost 3-1 to Inter in the first game in the San Siro, scored in 6 minutes at Ibrox in the return leg, battered them, hit the bar and eventually went out. Inter won the European Cup. Nobody will EVER convince me that we wouldn’t have won it if Baxter had been there.
 
The advent of European football seems to be treated as a bit of a ‘year zero’, similar to 1992 in England.

If your club’s golden age was before the mid-fifties then your reputation doesn’t count as much. Look at Bayern, they only really became properly successful in Germany in the late sixties. Before that, Nürnberg were the establishment club.

Timing is so important. We had our window of opportunity from 1986-1997-ish and completely blew it.

Failing to reach the CL next season will be another fatal blow. You simply cannot miss revolutionary moments.
 
NYC Davie said:
60 years ago and I still can’t get over the Inter Milan European Cup game!

We’d lost Jim Baxter with a leg break in Vienna in the previous round, lost 3-1 to Inter in the first game in the San Siro, scored in 6 minutes at Ibrox in the return leg, battered them, hit the bar and eventually went out. Inter won the European Cup. Nobody will EVER convince me that we wouldn’t have won it if Baxter had been there.
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My uncles were of the same opinion, that losing Baxter robbed us of a European trophy
 
Ataturk said:
The advent of European football seems to be treated as a bit of a ‘year zero’, similar to 1992 in England.

If your club’s golden age was before the mid-fifties then your reputation doesn’t count as much. Look at Bayern, they only really became properly successful in Germany in the late sixties. Before that, Nürnberg were the establishment club.

Timing is so important. We had our window of opportunity from 1986-1997-ish and completely blew it.

Failing to reach the CL next season will be another fatal blow. You simply cannot miss revolutionary moments.
Click to expand...

Ironically, it was us that started Bayern's trophy run in Europe from 1967 onwards. I'm sure we had chances to win that game as well in Nuremberg. ?
 
muttley said:
Ironically, it was us that started Bayern's trophy run in Europe from 1967 onwards. I'm sure we had chances to win that game as well in Nuremberg. ?
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Aye and the same in 1972 muttley! When we grubbed them in the semi final at Ibrox we had the sight of the peerless Franz Beckenbauer - and he was genuinely peerless - blootering the ball out for a throw-in (or “shy” for us oldies!) because we pressurised them so much.

The nucleus of the German team that won the World Cup and Bayern went on from that to win three European Cups in a row afterwards. I still can’t pick between that game and Juventus in 1978 as the most thrilling!
 
sheddensbear said:
I'm an ancient bear. Rangers were a big club, well known and respected throughout the world. Then European tournaments started and we realised we were miles behind. 3 finals in 11 years, but I also remember losing 12 4 to Frankfurt, 8 4 to Spurs and losing to bang average sides.
The last 6 years have been the most consistent period in our European history, albeit at a lower level. The expansion of the UCL has thrown money towards the richest nations, putting us further behind.
Click to expand...
I agree - the European tournaments - like the World Cup for the national teams in the UK - was a whole new ball game.

Scottish teams didn't always travel well even domestically let alone in foreign lands and the style of football had changed (mostly in terms of systems and fitness). Bayern, Madrid, Inter etc were used to travelling much longer distances in their domestic leagues too and connections, getting training abroad etc. were much more difficult.

My grandad always used to say that from the 30's to the early 50's Rangers and some now unfancied English teams would have won a load of European trophies in those days.
 
The People said:
Brilliant piece mate
Must have been exciting to have witnessed those finals

I didn’t know of the spurs result though, heard of the Frankfurt games sadly
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The thing is, Spurs were an exceptional side and the first English team to do the League and FA Cup double in the 20th century in 60/61.

They also went onto thrash Athletico Madrid (I think) 5-1 in the final. Ironically enough, on the same night we humped they yahoos in the 63 SC final replay.
 
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sheddensbear said:
I'm an ancient bear. Rangers were a big club, well known and respected throughout the world. Then European tournaments started and we realised we were miles behind. 3 finals in 11 years, but I also remember losing 12 4 to Frankfurt, 8 4 to Spurs and losing to bang average sides.
The last 6 years have been the most consistent period in our European history, albeit at a lower level. The expansion of the UCL has thrown money towards the richest nations, putting us further behind.
Click to expand...
Just too young to remember Frankfurt but that was the team that were scudded by Real at Hampden in the final suggesting we were miles behind
But then the next year we beat Borussia Monchengladbach 11- 0 on the way to the final of the Cup Winners Cup before losing narrowly
I guess we were learning the way or maybe BM were lucky to make the Cup Winners Cup - it was a tournament that due to its qualification criteria had a mixture of very good and some very average sides
I'd agree that in my time the past 6 years have been the only period where we've shown consistently we belong on that stage
 
sheddensbear said:
I'm an ancient bear. Rangers were a big club, well known and respected throughout the world. Then European tournaments started and we realised we were miles behind. 3 finals in 11 years, but I also remember losing 12 4 to Frankfurt, 8 4 to Spurs and losing to bang average sides.
The last 6 years have been the most consistent period in our European history, albeit at a lower level. The expansion of the UCL has thrown money towards the richest nations, putting us further behind.
Click to expand...
100% agree with everything you say. I would also add our very low domestic TV deal has further opened up the gap between us and the richest nations helping to put us even further behind.
 
Ataturk said:
The advent of European football seems to be treated as a bit of a ‘year zero’, similar to 1992 in England.

If your club’s golden age was before the mid-fifties then your reputation doesn’t count as much. Look at Bayern, they only really became properly successful in Germany in the late sixties. Before that, Nürnberg were the establishment club.

Timing is so important. We had our window of opportunity from 1986-1997-ish and completely blew it.

Failing to reach the CL next season will be another fatal blow. You simply cannot miss revolutionary moments.
Click to expand...
Yeah Eton and Windsor are the real big boys in England
 
Scottish teams from the early sixties had teams in the final or semi final of the big two European competitions on a regular basis up until 1974.
From memory they include
Rangers, them, Dundee, Dunfermline and Kilmarnock.
1967 two from Glasgow in the finals and 1972 Glasgow had 155 thousand fans attending games at the same time.A record never to beaten.
Money has changed the playing field for the smaller nations.
 
Seville and Manchester in my lifetime, Seville being much more painful. Hopefully one day I'll see us lift a European cup.
 
MartinS93 said:
I'd say we have tbh.

Europe's been great since we came back up the leagues.
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On the park, the results at the lower level cup have been okay, and at times brilliant.

Off the park and domestically, we have handed the filth riches they weren't counting on when they took a chance on the flange. It looks like we're about to do the same this season.

Winning the title this season would give us some financial clawback. I'm not saying we cant still win it, but we sure do make it hard for ourselves.
 
Bluebearjim said:
We lost the '67 final in Nuremburg due to the bloodymindedness of then Chairman John Lawrence forcing Scot Symon to basically chase Jim Forrest and George McLean out of the club following the debacle in Berwick. Big Roger Hynd was a centre back played at centre forward. Jim Forrest would have scored.
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100% Bbj, still remember the Roger Hynd chance.

Despite the venue, Rangers had a big support there, including many from the British Army who were based in Germany.
 
Gascoigne87 said:
I was meaning at the time we got to 3 finals. We should of won more than we did.
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I think there was still a sense of naivety about our play in Europe at that time. For instance apparently in the first leg of the final at Ibrox, we were awarded a penalty.

Apparently the Fiorentina goalkeeper, Albertosi, was prancing about, well off his line but Eric Caldow, instead of bringing this to attention of the ref still decided to take the kick and put it wide.

Nuremburg was virtually a home game for Bayern, and has been stated so many times, getting rid of our two main goalscorers after Berwick, and putting a reserve half back in as centre forward, wasn't our best plan of attack.
 
Just a wee boy then but I remember Rangers playing Fiorentina in the Final, although I probably didn't know it was a final at the time.

I remember the other two finals well.

I don't remember losing 12-4 to Eintracht Frankfurt. I do remember us beating Borussia Monchenglaadbach 11-0 on aggregate. That was the same year as the Eintracht game. Even then I must have had a selective memory for Rangers wins, and blackouts for defeats !
 
Ataturk said:
The advent of European football seems to be treated as a bit of a ‘year zero’, similar to 1992 in England.

If your club’s golden age was before the mid-fifties then your reputation doesn’t count as much. Look at Bayern, they only really became properly successful in Germany in the late sixties. Before that, Nürnberg were the establishment club.

Timing is so important. We had our window of opportunity from 1986-1997-ish and completely blew it.

Failing to reach the CL next season will be another fatal blow. You simply cannot miss revolutionary moments.
Click to expand...
Sadly your right. If european football existed in the struth era we probably win 1 maybe 2 at least. Unfortunately that lot got their timing right with their best tesm being the 60s team under stein
 
sheddensbear said:
I'm an ancient bear. Rangers were a big club, well known and respected throughout the world. Then European tournaments started and we realised we were miles behind. 3 finals in 11 years, but I also remember losing 12 4 to Frankfurt, 8 4 to Spurs and losing to bang average sides.
The last 6 years have been the most consistent period in our European history, albeit at a lower level. The expansion of the UCL has thrown money towards the richest nations, putting us further behind.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that, you made me feel old.
 
Audubon Blue said:
Just a wee boy then but I remember Rangers playing Fiorentina in the Final, although I probably didn't know it was a final at the time.

I remember the other two finals well.

I don't remember losing 12-4 to Eintracht Frankfurt. I do remember us beating Borussia Monchenglaadbach 11-0 on aggregate. That was the same year as the Eintracht game. Even then I must have had a selective memory for Rangers wins, and blackouts for defeats !
Click to expand...
Same year , different season amazing the contrast of the 2 results in just a few months.
 
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