Calling Rangers "The Light Blues"

We’ve always been known as the light blues as far as I can remember.
Does your memory only go back 5 years on less, I have been supporting Rangers for over 40 years and no way have I even considered us being called such a girlie, nancyboyish name as the light blues.
Seem to remember the mentally challengeds being called the Bhoys until they suddenly became the hoops, I wonder why they ditch the bhoys tag?
 
I’ve never heard anyone actually talk about the light blues. However, the Rangers News always referred to the light blues and called the reserves ‘the colts’.

Similarly, I’ve never heard anyone refer to us as ‘the Famous’, apart from a thread on here about a year ago.
People that call us "the famous" are probably the same people that call us Glasgow Rangers. Weirdos.
 
To be honest at 72 I’ve never heard a fan call us light blues only in the media. All I ever said was teady bears or the Gers.
I've only ever seen it in the press. funnily enough in our family we rarely call rangers 'rangers' it's always the bears or teds.
 
I will disagree with several on here and state that most people used the phrase in reference to our shirt colour in the 50's and 60's, if not before.

My old man and grandfather were both Dundee supporters and it was always the case of Dundee were the 'Dark Blues' and Rangers were the 'Light Blues'.
That's what I remember mate
 
I’ve never heard anyone actually talk about the light blues. However, the Rangers News always referred to the light blues and called the reserves ‘the colts’.

Similarly, I’ve never heard anyone refer to us as ‘the Famous’, apart from a thread on here about a year ago.

TFGR
 
The Light Blues originally referred to how quick the players were and nothing to do with the colour of shirt. There's still a debate as to whether we first played in Man City sky blue or royal blue.

I think this is a myth - rather like some of the stories we hear about the red-and-black socks.

It is true we were referred to in a newspaper article as the "light and speedy blues". However, it is something of a stretch to conclude that this led to the team being called the "light blues".

Every other team called something like "the reds" or "the dark blues" is named after the colour of their shirts. Why should Rangers be any different?


Although the team played in royal blue throughout the 20th century, earlier photographs appear to show a lighter shade of blue. One factor to bear in mind is that dyes back then tended to run, particularly in items that had to be frequently washed. As late as the 1980s, some top rugby teams (or players within the same team) played in noticeably faded cotton strips.
 
I was always led to believe that we were referred to 'the light Blues' simply because we played in a lighter shade of blue compaired to the Vale of Leven who play in a dark blue shirt?
 
Never heard of the "light and speedy" thing. Always just assumed it was shirt colour compared to Dundee and Scotland.
 
To be honest at 72 I’ve never heard a fan call us light blues only in the media. All I ever said was teady bears or the Gers.
 
The 'Light & Speedy' first came to the fore after our epic matches against Vale of Leven for the 1877 Scottish Cup.
It was a reference to their style of play and slender build. In fact this match was definitely a game of Men V Boys.

1877
wkpsex.jpg


By the 1880's it evolved into the 'Speedy Blues' and the 'Light Blues'

1882
33li71g.jpg


This article from 1884 has both 'Light and Speedy' and @Light Blues' in it.

1884
9a39n9.jpg



As for shirt colour, we have never wore a light blue jersey. The colour has always been Royal Blue.
the below is from the 1875 members card which has the club colours mentioned.

1875
4ruekw.jpg
 
The 'Light & Speedy' first came to the fore after our epic matches against Vale of Leven for the 1877 Scottish Cup.
It was a reference to their style of play and slender build. In fact this match was definitely a game of Men V Boys.

1877
wkpsex.jpg


By the 1880's it evolved into the 'Speedy Blues' and the 'Light Blues'

1882
33li71g.jpg


This article from 1884 has both 'Light and Speedy' and @Light Blues' in it.

1884
9a39n9.jpg



As for shirt colour, we have never wore a light blue jersey. The colour has always been Royal Blue.
the below is from the 1875 members card which has the club colours mentioned.

1875
4ruekw.jpg
All we need now is the royal seal
 
Dunfermline are even more extreme. I used to do work for them nearly 20 years ago, and their staff & supporters I dealt with never referred to them as anything but The Pars.
Plymouth Argyll Reserves (Par)
 
I think the papers call us light blues because they want to distance us from the word royal as in royal blues
FFS .....there is some bollox being posted on this thread !

When we started out we were younger and more slight in build than the other by then established teams. We were differentiated from the hammer throwers of the time by the term 'light blues' ie we played mostly in blue (yes, a lighter blue esp if you look at the star on the white shirt) but we were noticeably lighter in terms of weight and clearly more nimble, hence the description by a reporter of the ‘Light and speedy blues’. The 'light' label stuck and refers to weight. It could just as easily have been 'the speedy blues'.

If emphasis was on the shirt colour we would have been referred to simply as 'the speedy light blues', not the 'light and speedy blues'

You can look upon it as a reflection of how we influenced the manner of game from the beginning.You can also argue that not much has changed in the Scottish game re hammerthrowers.
 
I always thought the Dunfermline/PARS thing was to do with the street East End Park was in ?
Paragon St ?
 
Next you’ll be telling us you don’t refer to Ibrox as “Ibrox”

Or that you've never heard that we're called the Teddy Bears due to Bill Struth adopting a black bear during our famous tour of Russia.

Some people really need to do a spot of research on our famous history.
 
I'm not understanding how people are still confused by this after 2 pages of posts clearly stating that 'light blues' has nothing to do with the colour of shirt.

It's not difficult to understand.

It's nothing to do with being confused.

It's about forming an opinion based on the relevant evidence. It's not conclusive, in my view.

This happens a lot with this type of stuff. Why did Rangers stop signing Catholics, for instance? Who was responsible? There are theories but no absolute proof.

Another one is the red-and-black socks. David Mason says that we began playing in them in the first few years of the 20th century but I haven't seen proof of this.
 
We've been known as the Light Blues ever since our early years

That is exactly correct. I have been supporting the club for over sixty years and our nickname in the early years was always the light blues. This distinguished us from the dark blues of Dundee, not because they were called the dark blues before us. I've never heard the 'light and speedy' blues story before.
 
That is exactly correct. I have been supporting the club for over sixty years and our nickname in the early years was always the light blues. This distinguished us from the dark blues of Dundee, not because they were called the dark blues before us. I've never heard the 'light and speedy' blues story before.
You never hearing it is different from it not being true.
 
Remember as a youngster starting up Championship Manager 01/02 and it having 'The Light Blues' as one of our nicknames. I immediately thought it was a shite nickname considering we don't wear light blue.

Turns out I was wrong, learn something new everyday!
 
My old aunt who lived in Copland Rd told me about 40+ years ago that in part it was to differentiate us from the dark blues(Dundee) when they were a good side in the 60s.
Light blues and dark blues?

Dundee were formed only in 1893. The 'light blues' was used before then.

Vale of Leven played in a dark blue strip.
 
I'm on my way to 70 and I can remember as long as I can remember that we were known as 'The Light Blues', we were also called 'The Honey Pears' by some friends of my family.
 
Preseason pedantry perhaps, but am I the only one who thinks "the Light Blues" is a shite nickname for Rangers? The most obvious issue is we don't even play in light blue. I don't think I've heard anyone use it besides crappy sports journalists knocking out a quick match report. When did it even come about?
Traditional nickname for our beloved club and certainly nothing "Shite" about it mate.
 
Somethings you just don't question.

I never knew why we were called the "Teddy Bears" until FF came along.

"We are the people" always has debates over its origins.
 
To be honest at 72 I’ve never heard a fan call us light blues only in the media. All I ever said was teady bears or the Gers.
I love it that we have posters who are 72.
Are you constant early shift?
 
There are different shades of blue. Man City and Coventry City wear Sky Blue. Everton, Chelsea, Leicester wear Royal Blue. Rangers shirts are in between. I was invited to a tour of Ibrox in the mid-60sand saw the actual shirts the players had worn the previous day. I was quite surprised at how light the blue was and realised why the ' Light Blues' tag was used. If you see old photos or film of Rangers v Hearts games you will see how light the Rangers shirts are against Hearts maroon. In photos of that time our red away shirts looked darker than the blue.
 
I'm not understanding how people are still confused by this after 2 pages of posts clearly stating that 'light blues' has nothing to do with the colour of shirt.

It's not difficult to understand.
Get them told FTIE!
The light blues were what we were called in the 60s
well I was 8 when MY late father took me To my first game and it was and always will be ROYAL BLUE but I will respect your seniority as your5years older lol
 
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