One player “carrying the team” - The clearest Rangers example

Scaramanga

Well-Known Member
You hear this chat quite a bit, particularly in recent times where there’s been a strong feeling of dependence on Morelos’ form, though this is thankfully no longer the case. I also mentioned in a recent discussion the other day that I felt Pršo really carried our team one season.

So the question is, in your mind what is the clearest example of one player ‘carrying’ us? Now whenever I think of this my mind always goes straight to Brian Laudrup in the 9 in a row season, because he really did come up trumps in the big moments (two winners in the two league games at the piggery and the title clinching goal), and he just had so many huge dominating performances throughout. The scale and significance of that season probably also comes into play too given there was serious pressure and Laudrup really rose above it (he was so good even Andy Wanker of all people stated he doesn’t know a single player or sports writer who didn’t vote for Laudrup for the PoTY awards that season as he stood so far above the rest).

What do you think? The subsequent example that comes to mind is Hateley in 93/94. (P.S - obligatory photo of God attached because you can’t go wrong with a bit of eye candy).

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Laudrup was in a team filled with great players. He often provided a moment of brilliance to see us through but to say he carried the team is nonsense.

For example his goals wouldn’t have meant much if we didn’t have Goram pulling off wonder saves at the other end.
I agree.
 
Mark Hateley during the 1993/94 season - he dragged Rangers to that title.

It was the first season where I was really conscious of how dominant a single player could be.
Couldn’t agree more. We signed Jukebox but we needed Hateley’s goals otherwise 6IAR may not have happened. That team needed fresh blood, thankfully we got it.

I recall a turgid 0-0 draw at home to Dundee after the league was sealed. Some awful stuff that year
 
Most recently, Vuckic in the championship.

But Ferguson in 02/03, not that it was a bad team that needed carried. He carried them into another level where they were arguably the best Rangers team i've ever seen.
 
Mark Hateley during the 1993/94 season - he dragged Rangers to that title.

It was the first season where I was really conscious of how dominant a single player could be.

this, think the heart and hand boys covered it but domestically that’s the season our 9 in a row could have seriously faltered if it hadn’t been for the big man. Think we won less games that season than any other where we went onto become champions?
 
Laudrup was in a team filled with great players. He often provided a moment of brilliance to see us through but to say he carried the team is nonsense.

For example his goals wouldn’t have meant much if we didn’t have Goram pulling off wonder saves at the other end.

The failed 10 in a row side was choc full of top players too. It doesn’t mean much if they don’t actually pull their weight. I’ve seen Barca sides full of talent rely heavily on one player, you can even see an element of it with the current United side.

I wouldn’t say 9 in a row year was Goram’s shining season either given injuries etc albeit he did have big moments too which he invariably always did given his quality. But the idea of a player ‘carrying’ a side is always a bit hyperbolic anyway isn’t it, it’s more about doing a disproportionate amount of the work than actually doing it all. Because the most famous example is Maradona in 86 and to the best of my knowledge he wasn’t keeping goals out at the back whilst simultaneously creating and scoring them up the other end.
 
Barry Ferguson that season he scored 20 odd league goals.

Had a season ticket for that season and it felt like he carried us.
No doubt he had an outstanding season in 02/03 but I don’t think he carried us, de boer was outstanding that season also and Mols,Adverlazde,and cannigia all got double figures in goals in the league.
 
Barry Ferguson that season he scored 20 odd league goals.

Had a season ticket for that season and it felt like he carried us.
Ferguson had a brilliant season but he didn’t carry the team, a number of other players such as De Boer had great seasons too.
 
It was often said of John Greig when he played in poor or mediocre Gers sides.
I assume that you are meaning poor or mediocre on the day? He was that kind of inspirational player for sure and led by example but when Greig captained us through their niar in the 60's/70's he played in what were very good Rangers sides who were up against by far and away the best side in that other mob's history. Greig, however was head and shoulders above all as a leader.
 
I saw Barry Ferguson really driving the team by what seemed like himself at times, in a really good team too. First I really noticed one player having such a significant impact in my own eyes.
 
It was often said of John Greig when he played in poor or mediocre Gers sides.
That was my first thought. I remember once reading (it was a book on Rangers Legends/great players or something like that) he got an ovation from the Jungle when going to pick the ball up after it went out of play. It was a recognition of his efforts for his team during their period of dominance.
 
I assume that you are meaning poor or mediocre on the day? He was that kind of inspirational player for sure and led by example but when Greig captained us through their niar in the 60's/70's he played in what were very good Rangers sides who were up against by far and away the best side in that other mob's history. Greig, however was head and shoulders above all as a leader.

I seem to recall Greig playing in some Gers sides that weren't that great. For example we finished fourth behind Aberdeen and St Johnstone in 1970/71. We didn't always run Celtc close and I'm not sure they were that great a side in the latter part of their NIAR.
 
Couldn’t agree more. We signed Jukebox but we needed Hateley’s goals otherwise 6IAR may not have happened. That team needed fresh blood, thankfully we got it.

I recall a turgid 0-0 draw at home to Dundee after the league was sealed. Some awful stuff that year
It was hard going that year.

Mark Hateley had pretty much every defence in Scotland utterly terrified of him though - he was utterly dominant all season and nobody could stop him.
 
Our own manager dragged very average liverpool sides to success when you consider sides they were up against domestically and in Europe

Also Henry at arsenal during the years he won silverware at notably there invincible season

I've not used a rangers example as a lot of guys have covered many players I'd have thought of
 
Laudrup was in a team filled with great players. He often provided a moment of brilliance to see us through but to say he carried the team is nonsense.

For example his goals wouldn’t have meant much if we didn’t have Goram pulling off wonder saves at the other end.
Exactly
 
Ally McCoist 1985/86.

Scary, but Rangers would have been close to relegation without his goals.
Just to give more info.

Rangers finished 5th out of 10, our lowest league position since the mid 1920s.
Rangers lost more league games than they won, something unheard of.
Rangers ended up 15 points above last place, it was 2 points for a win.
In 36 games Rangers only scored 53 goals.

Ally McCoist scored 25 league goals, more than anyone from the teams at the top of the table. That was just over 47% of the total, and without his goals we would have scored less than the team who finished last.

He absolutely carried us for long periods that season
 
Davie Cooper was the one shining light in a very dark place in the early to mid 80’s.


Not doubting how outstanding a footballer he was, but was he not quite inconsistent through Greig's time as manager.

Looking through old team lists and footage, Willie Johnston seemed to be preferred to him quite a lot, with Coop on the bench.
 
Think there's always been periods of reliance on great players but I don't think there are many examples of them being the only player capable of winning games in seasons we actually won something.

Always just a case of someone stepping up when we need them. Kenny Miller at the start of the 10/11 season is a good example. He was on fire all season, left in the January window and then Jelavic just scored the goals Miller was scoring from January.

The Laudrup example is good too but people seem to forget McCoist, Albertz & Gazza all scored plenty that season.
 
No doubt he had an outstanding season in 02/03 but I don’t think he carried us, de boer was outstanding that season also and Mols,Adverlazde,and cannigia all got double figures in goals in the league.
Aye I should have worded that better.

At times in games it felt like he did as he never fell below a 7 out of 10 that season.
 
I seem to recall Greig playing in some Gers sides that weren't that great. For example we finished fourth behind Aberdeen and St Johnstone in 1970/71. We didn't always run Celtc close and I'm not sure they were that great a side in the latter part of their NIAR.
You could be right maybe I'm looking back through my rose coloured specs. We did have a few bad league runs back then dropping stupid points all over the shop. Regardless, Greig was IMO our finest ever Captain and a true leader on & off the park.
 
Barry Ferguson that season he scored 20 odd league goals.

Had a season ticket for that season and it felt like he carried us.
Ferguson was outstanding that season but from what I remember.

De boer, caniggia, mols, lovenkrands and Arveladze all score double figures that season as well.

I thought that was a superb team, who were very consistent and were up against a good Celtic team at the time as well.
 
Barry Ferguson that season he scored 20 odd league goals.

Had a season ticket for that season and it felt like he carried us.
De Boer and Klos were every bit as good as him that season, taking nothing away from Barry as he was excellent.

Hateley in 93-94 and Laudrup in 96-97 spring to mind for me
 
The first name I think of is Brian Laudrup.

He may have had good players alongside him, but he did indeed carry that limping team for long stretches of a vital season.

So much so, that the joke at the time that was bandied about amongst us was;
"What's the difference between Brian Laudrup and a black cab ?
A black cab can only carry five people."
 
John Greig had 2 periods of great success...the early to mid 60s, and the mid 70s.

In between, he was trying to drag us up by the balls to success, and everyone's mammy and granny felt sorry for him, simply because of the effort afforded by him, as opposed to the lack of success for Rangers.

Even the famous League Cup win (DJ header), eluded him through injury, allowing the great Ronnie McKinnon to lift the trophy.

Barcelona was a magnificent launch pad for his second period of dominant leadership in the mid 70s.

I'll never forget how he was always driving and cajoling his players to greater efforts in all of those periods, and leading by example. He could actually have encouraged Shane Duffy to make a clearance.
 
Mark Hateley during the 1993/94 season - he dragged Rangers to that title.

It was the first season where I was really conscious of how dominant a single player could be.
That's the one I was going to say. Ally was out for most of the season. Goram was out for large parts too. Hateley imo won us that title.
 
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