Best ever pre sesson friendly?

Was watching the friendly v Liverpool on the way home from the game there. Was it around 08 or something. Gerrard played in it
 
Say every year I’m not coming back to friendlies. Thoroughly enjoyed the last two. Roll on Thursday.
 
Bristol City for me because I had Bristol mates who couldn't believe the noise...why don't you lot sit down? Rangers and bouncy fans for life!
 
The last friendly I attended was back in the Souness days when we lost in a midweek game against Arsenal on a freezing cold night in November or December. I said that night that it was the last friendly for me. There was very little atmosphere and both teams just seemed to be going through the motions. I do, however, remember two pre-season friendlies against the Arsenal, back in 1966 and 1968 at a packed Ibrox when the atmosphere was electric. In 1966 I went over on the Mermaid bus from Bridgeton. We won 2-0. The other mob were playing Man United at Parkhead that day and beat them 3-0. As ever, coming back on the Mermaid when that mob was at Parkhead, there was mayhem at the Toll and that mob took an absolute hammering. The Man U fans who witnessed it were quite shocked by it and one of them asked my young brother, "Is it like this every week"?

Two years on, in 68, the Arsenal were back to Ibrox. Early on in the game there was a stoppage in play as the crowd spilled onto the pitch when two gangs started to battle it out in our old shed where the Derry stood. The game finished 2-2. The one thing though that that game did not lack, nor few did in those days where the Derry stood, was atmosphere. Pre season games back in those days might have been labelled as "friendlies" but they were taken very seriously.
 
The last friendly I attended was back in the Souness days when we lost in a midweek game against Arsenal on a freezing cold night in November or December. I said that night that it was the last friendly for me. There was very little atmosphere and both teams just seemed to be going through the motions. I do, however, remember two pre-season friendlies against the Arsenal, back in 1966 and 1968 at a packed Ibrox when the atmosphere was electric. In 1966 I went over on the Mermaid bus from Bridgeton. We won 2-0. The other mob were playing Man United at Parkhead that day and beat them 3-0. As ever, coming back on the Mermaid when that mob was at Parkhead, there was mayhem at the Toll and that mob took an absolute hammering. The Man U fans who witnessed it were quite shocked by it and one of them asked my young brother, "Is it like this every week"?

Two years on, in 68, the Arsenal were back to Ibrox. Early on in the game there was a stoppage in play as the crowd spilled onto the pitch when two gangs started to battle it out in our old shed where the Derry stood. The game finished 2-2. The one thing though that that game did not lack, nor few did in those days where the Derry stood, was atmosphere. Pre season games back in those days might have been labelled as "friendlies" but they were taken very seriously.

The 1968 game was my first ever Rangers game
 
Do you remember the battle in the shed?

I remember there were fans spilling out the crowd onto the running track. And I remember my mum's face when I told here there was a big fight.

But I was 4, so no great detail.
 
A really good game that one.

My favourite wasn't a pre-season friendly, it was played on 11th January 1984 in a howling gale and pouring rain, but the 3-3 game with Feyenoord was brilliant (they won on pens), with Davie Cooper absolutely amazing. That was the match that Ruud Gullit saw Coop for the first time and he never forgot him, stating on more than one occasion he was one of the most talented players he'd ever seen.
Was at that. Cruyff also played.
 
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I remember there were fans spilling out the crowd onto the running track. And I remember my mum's face when I told here there was a big fight.

But I was 4, so no great detail.

You were there alright, dh. I was half way down the shed when I felt the sway in the crowd. I looked round to my left and saw 3 whisky glasses flying in formation across the top of the shed. I then decided it was time to get to fk out of the way onto the track. Thankfully it quietened down after 5 miinutes and the game resumed. There was little mention of it in the papers on the following day. These days it would make the front pages.
 
We had just came back our honeymoon the day before and I nipped up to get a ticket from ticket office. Just set foot in the porta cabin when wife phoned to say her uncle has died outside her grans house and her gran had heart attack when she found him.

I thought rubbish, I'm missing the game.

Then she says need to pick her parents up from airport and break the bad news, still remember heading up m77 after picking them up and saying, do you mind if I turn the radio on to listen to Rangers game, just right when passing Waitrose, sat in car outside crosshouse hospital when Sebo scored!

Been to plenty pre season games over the years, this has to be the one I enjoyed the most. Proper atmosphere and both teams going for it. Can't believe it's 12 years ago.

I remember Drogba afterwards raving about the Ibrox noise.

Probably the one closest for me was in 1989 v Spurs when Ian Ferguson and Gazza had a running battle.

Rangers 2 Chelsea 0, 2007 wins it.

 
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