86/87 league win, recollections

55 hours to Belgrade said:
The main thing I remember from that game was them getting about 6 corners in a row and Butcher and Woods clearing everything. Very similar to this year in that we then knew we had defence to keep clean sheets against good attacks and once Roberts arrived in December we never looked back. Dundee at home in midweek game April was the one that made me think we are going to do this and the game at Pittodrie was more of a relief with the icing on the cake the Falkirk win at Sharkheid which looked like Troon beach that day. Stopped near Forfar on way back for few pints and game of football in field opposite the pub next to A90 - great days and the young bears will have this feeling to look forward to in a couple of months.
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Completely agree with you on that. Dundee had a really good side back then and had been something of a bogey team for us for a few seasons. It was a tough away game (one of only two or three I missed that season) but we gubbed them 4-0 and I remember thinking, “That’s it. We’re going to do it.”

The victory over Aberdeen was the first big sign we were going to be a genuine force that season, even more so than the win against the Beasts. Thereafter the New Years Day game and the 5-2 win at Tynecastle had us really believing it was going to be our year, but it was that win at Dens that convinced me the title was ours.
 
I was at Pittodrie that day as as 12 year old and will never forget the joy on my Dads ( and friends) face when we won the title, I will probably feel the same this time round.
As for the season it started slowly but went on a great run during winter and into the new year, even after the shock Hamilton SC defeat.
 
ao2 said:
It was no cakewalk. We played some terrific football early on but were quite inconsistent and by the beginning of December 1986 we were behind by 9 points (only 2 points for a win then remember). Then it all clicked, especially when Graham Roberts arrived, and by the middle of January 1987 we were top. Even then it was still close until the last few weeks. It still remains one of my favourite seasons ever. My personal highlights:

1-0 and 2-0 wins over the scum, especially the New Year game which could and should have been 4.
2-0 over Aberdeen (we hadn't beaten them for more than 3 years)
5-2 away to Hearts the week after the Scottish Cup defeat to Hamilton Accies
3-1 away to St Mirren in front of a packed Love Street
3-0 at home to Hearts
Davie Cooper's fantastic solo goal in a draw at Tynecastle
Roberts' screamer at Fir Park
A draw with Hibs at Ibrox on a day when Rough in their goal was almost unbeatable. But the scum lost 4-1 to Dundee that day, we went top and never lost the lead again.
4-0 away to Dundee, on a night Tosh McKinlay will never forget the roasting he got!
The Skol Cup win over the scum
The winning of the title at Pittodrie and the release of 9 years of hurt when the final whistle went.

And there were many many more highlights. A great season.

Oddly I'd say our best football was played in the first hour of the game v Dundee United at Ibrox in August, a day we somehow contrived to toss away a 2-0 lead and lose.
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A decent summary.
 
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I was 17 then and had started going to the games early 80s when John Greig was the manager.

5 of us went up without tickets and we all got in the Aberdeen end no problem. At the end was outstanding, on the park about a yard away from Butcher. Went on the piss all day / night and woke up the next morning with a bit of the turf in my back pocket. Happy days and a game / experience that has only been topped a handful of times since then.

I can’t wait for my son to experience us winning the league as he’s also 17 now and a season ticket holder.
 
I was very young, only 9. Can remember having to listen to the game on the radio as it wasn’t live on the tv. The emotion on my old mans face when we won will live with me. Can remember having tickets for the final league game on the season against st Mirren and getting to see my first trophy, something I probably didn’t fully appreciate at the time but now having kids myself and I want them to remember my face when 55 comes as we’ve been through torture but the light is very much at the end of the tunnel.
 
0-4 night at Dens really was when I believed it could really happen. In 40 years of following Rangers that us still one of my favourite nights.

Made the 3 hour drive back to Ayr less of a burden.

Poor Tosh will never forget that night.

Huge travelling supports is another memory, travelling up from Ayr regularly with four season ticket books to queue for about 3 hours with huge long crocodiles of supporters for every big away game or cup semi/final.

Madness.

Wouldn't have missed it for the world.B-)
 
I was at the Hearts game when super Ally banged in the hat trick the week before pittodrie and the atmosphere was electric.

I still love the story about the bears buying tickets for the mentally challenged end of the piggery as all the Gers end ones were sold out. They beat us 3-1 that day but each time they scored a section of the crowd in their end did not move or react which made them stick out like a sore thumb.
 
I remember my dad coming back from the pub after beating Aberdeen.
he shook my hand when he walked into the house.
I remember him getting up for pee and landed in the bath.
I helped him to get out,all the time he was just smiling.
I hope he’s looking down watching the bears getting 56.
I just remember the atmosphere at Ibrox being amazing as a young 13/14 year old.
 
Was at the first OF game that season and after winning I felt we would do well even though it was probably the New Year game when I just knew we would be champions. I just had so much faith in Souness. The man was a born winner and it was inconceivable to me that he wouldn't succeed. Was over in England for a week and at Old Trafford the day of the Aberdeen game. Will never forget the moment one of our group came up and said Rangers won the league and Souness was sent off. Man U had been playing Wimbledon that day and lost 1-0 in a match that was absolutely dire. On the way in a group of Celtic fans who had cycled from Glasgow were collecting outside the ground. A mate who is a big Rangers fan and myself gave a bit (ok a lot) of stick going past (no money of course). They came on to the pitch at half time for a round of applause. A few of the local punters were a bit surprised to see 2 lads booing and shouting abuse at these charity workers!! 34 years ago!!!
 
bluewonder said:
I was at the Hearts game when super Ally banged in the hat trick the week before pittodrie and the atmosphere was electric.

I still love the story about the bears buying tickets for the mentally challenged end of the piggery as all the Gers end ones were sold out. They beat us 3-1 that day but each time they scored a section of the crowd in their end did not move or react which made them stick out like a sore thumb.
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I was in the Celtic end in the Main Stand that day with my Dad. There was a chance in the game, in the first half, where either Cooper or Souness? nearly scored with a header. We were so shocked we forgot where we were and nearly jumped up to cheer and got clocked by a few of the home fans. To be fair, because I was only a kid with my Dad, the guys who clocked us turned a blind eye.

We left just after Jimmy Nic and Chris Woods made a Russel Hunt of a short free kick which Brian McClair? pounced on to score the third. The same guys clocked us leaving but were too busy cheering to give us grief. I remember thinking about them watching their team getting beat by Falkirk a few week later when they handed us the title!
 
We came on strong in the 2nd half of the season.
Dundee 0 Rangers 4 was a memorable game I attended, we were quite magnificent.
I was in an Edinburgh bar when we clinched it at Pittodrie, a feeling of relief.
The addition of quality players, especially at the back, got us the title, sounds a bit like today, we have strengthened our squad since last season.
 
weebaggy said:
0-4 night at Dens really was when I believed it could really happen. In 40 years of following Rangers that us still one of my favourite nights.

Made the 3 hour drive back to Ayr less of a burden.

Poor Tosh will never forget that night.

Huge travelling supports is another memory, travelling up from Ayr regularly with four season ticket books to queue for about 3 hours with huge long crocodiles of supporters for every big away game or cup semi/final.

Madness.

Wouldn't have missed it for the world.B-)
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I've never seen Rangers play better, it was that good. I think they had beaten us that season as well.
 
I was only around 7 when Souness took over, and that was my first year being properly interested and aware of us and the game itself, although I definitely have vague recollections of the 4-4 game the year before. I think my timing was lucky. Everything seemed new and exciting, the strip, the stadium, everything, and it must also have felt that way for older bears having lived through the early 80s. A lot of credit must go to David Holmes.

I remember Hearts, Aberdeen, and Dundee Utd all having good teams at the time as well.

Souness, McCoist, Durrant, and Sir Davie Cooper were the ultimate for me at that age, and still are.
 
At Pittodrie I dropped/lost my ticket outside the ground when buying a programme, only discovered that when I approached the turnstile.

amid shouts of “ you’ve lost yer ticket ffsk” from friends.

I retraced my steps to where said programme seller was and there was the ticket lying upside down in the gutter next to him.
* in those days the sheep tickets were just made of flimsy paper with an advert on the reverse

cries of “you jammy bassa” then followed from friends

after that I knew the league was being won that day.
 
Was my earliest Rangers memory, I would have been 7/8 at the time, remember the excitement in my family when Souness was appointed manager and then going on to win the league. So were sewn the seeds of love for Glasgow Rangers FC and in particular Davie Cooper, he was my mums idol, then a couple of years later after lots of persuading going to the games with my uncle, (my dad was a mentally challenged and I didn't speak to him at that point in my life). Fantastic memories.
 
What a season......for me only #55 will beat it. As for my favourite recollection, plenty to chose from....Butcher’s goal to win the title, the Souness masterclass on New Years Day, Cooper’s pass to Durrant to beat that lot and his run vs Ilves Tampere but probably the best ......”Waddell, Waddell, get tae f........”
 
I was 11 and it was an amazing time to be a young bear. Up to then we only ever looked like a team that could challenge for the cups, which we did, our form in the league was always inconsistent. The change in Rangers from when Souness got appointed was unbelievable, my Da and Granda telling me I was going to see a real Rangers team now and they were right.

I've mentioned before on here that I always end up watching the Sportscene coverage of that day when p*shed. The interviews with the players, Souness and Holmes are brilliant and take you right back to that day.


 
A season to remember for me, and still my favourite ever season...so far.

I was only 15 at the start of the season, I had only ever known us to be bit part players when it came to the league title, I was too young to remember much about any of our success in the 70’s.

I had started going to just about every game the season before, and never missed a game the 86/87 season.....apart from THE day at Pittodrie, that’s something that still saddens me to this day. As we waited to board the supporters bus to Aberdeen, I was persuaded not to travel because we had no tickets and wouldn’t get in.
 
Souness felt like a true revolution and the big names coming up from England just seemed ridiculous. I expected a sesimic shift in that season and it kind of came. The difference was, the seismic shift was in getting us from a mid-table side to the top of the league. There wasn't the depth of analysis in how it happened, it was just there to be enjoyed and all put down to the influence of Souness in the quality of players we were adding.

This time it has been more gradual improvement and, for me at least, more emotional. Last time we didn't have the whole of the Scottish game colluding in an attempt to wipe us off of the footballing map.

This one feels more of a catharsis and a second seismic shift but this time to a higher level. This time I think the transformation of Rangers is going to lead to a shift in the whole of Scottish football. I think we are now building upon foundations that will see us step up to a whole new level of domestic dominance and European competitiveness that hasn't been seen for nearly 50 years.
 
Too young for me to remember but stats show it was a strong finish to the season. The Tims drew against Dundee United, beat Hibs then lost their last 2 games.
Looked like it was built on a strong defence - only 23 goals conceded in 44 games.

when checking there results, Sellik managed to get 58k in Torbett Towers for the OF game but regularly they’d only get 11 - 12k in for other games, including the crucial game v Falkirk. Was surprised to see it as low. Maybe wasn’t the same financial help now to low income families.
 
JCB64 said:
After 9 years in which we finished 3rd, 4th or even 5th as we did in 85/86 this was like a dream.
Souness & Walter arrive
Butcher & Woods sign. Englands captain & goalkeeper
Victory v Tims in LCF in which they had 9 booked and 1 sent off
Davie Coopers assist for Fleck v Tampere at Ibrox
Signing Roberts when trailing badly before Christmas
Victory on New Year day v Tims 2-0 led by the glorious bastard at his best.
SC defeat at Ibrox v Hamilton
Thousands of Rangers fans in the Celtic end at Parkhead in April
Butchers thumping header at Aberdeen to win league after Souness sent off.
Pitch invasion with grown men in tears.
Souness & Walter belting out the Billy Boys on lap of honour.
Best season ever.
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Great summary, I could not have written that but reading it brings all these memories back. Including the last line - best season ever - until this year?
 
Cobbler Bob said:
I remember the very end of the season review VHS. The legend that is Davie Cooper saying something like "This isn't the end, it's just the beginning"
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I remember that. Not sure if it was same VHS or a documentary but they interviewed a few bears outside the ground and the face value of the ticket that day was £2.50. He had paid 50 quid for it
 
I was too young to remember ‘75 and I know older Bears talk fondly about it as their favourite title win because it ended nine straight years of Yahoo gloating, but for virtually all of that time we were still their closest challengers and very nearly pipped them on at least a couple of occasions during that sequence.

By ‘87 I was 17 and for the vast majority of the previous nine years we’d been virtual also rans, finishing 4th and 5th for the most part with any hopes of the title finished by Xmas every year.

Prior to Holmes and Souness arriving it felt like there was no end in sight to that annual depression so to suddenly be genuine challengers again was exhilarating and when we finally clinched it the outpouring of emotion for me personally was overwhelming.

Victory this season will top the lot and see grown men weeping in the streets.

I’m quite likely to be one of them.
 
I remember on the day we won the league, my alarm never went off and I missed the bus. Turned out they had tickets for everyone. I wanted to be somewhere there would be a lot of Bears, so I went to Ibrox for the reserve game. Turned out to be a 2 o'clock ko, I thought it was 3, so ended up listening to the second half from Pittodrie in the house.
 
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