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

Davie Cooper 79-85
100% m8 , in my first years watching Rangers Cooper won us silverware practically single handedly. I've read it many times that Coop's was inconsistent but though he did had some poor games he was head and shoulders above all around him, until Souness surrounded him with the class players he was more than worthy of.
 
Another one for Hateley in the 93/94 season. Great example of that is the Scottish cup semi vs Kilmarnock - an absolutely turgid 0-0 draw then winning the replay 2-1 with the big man getting both goals.
 
Barry Ferguson that season he scored 20 odd league goals.

Had a season ticket for that season and it felt like he carried us.
Can’t agree with this. Ronald De Boer had an equally, if not more, impressive season in 02/03. Further to this Arveladze, Mols, McCann, Ricksen, Klos, Amoruso, Moore and Arteta were all outstanding. Ferguson was the heartbeat, but he didn’t carry the team per se.
 
Barry Ferguson that season he scored 20 odd league goals.

Had a season ticket for that season and it felt like he carried us.
He didn't he had a great season though.
We had Klos,Amo,Moore Numan,Cannigia,Mols and especially De Boer all making vital contributions.
 
As a 15 year old, I was astounded as to how bad we were without Vuckic in the 14/15 season, an absolute disaster of a season.

Was comfortably our best player, who almost dragged us to the SPL and he only played like 18 games.
 
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).

h_99382321.jpg
Brian O’No was the headline that day
 
I've heard that before mate,was it a personality clash or was there something more to it?
It was in a book written about Davie a couple of years ago. It was a strange time, crowds were pish, most of the team were rubbish or at the end of their careers. Cooper was always my hero and definitely carried the Team.
 
Maradona for both Napoli (league title) and Argentina (World Cup).

Carry a team for me is not a good player making a good team better. Its more an average team winning things with the help of a cracking player.

Both had players that were decent but wouldn't have one anything without him.
 
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."
Indeed, clearly a few folk who think games are won on paper. The following season showed that really isn’t the case.
 
Maradona for both Napoli (league title) and Argentina (World Cup).

Carry a team for me is not a good player making a good team better. Its more an average team winning things with the help of a cracking player.

Both had players that were decent but wouldn't have one anything without him.

I obviously missed Diego’s stint at Rangers B-D
 
I've heard that before mate,was it a personality clash or was there something more to it?
Davie Cooper talked about it in his book... from memory, Greig thought that Cooper was a bit lazy in training and inconsistent in matches.

In true footballer fashion, Cooper thought he was being hard done to but when Jock Wallace took over, he gave Cooper a period of time to lose some weight... Cooper did it it half the time!

My time of seeing Cooper was at the end of his Rangers career and there was anticipation every time he got the ball... he seemed to come to life with the lack of all the pressure being on him and having better players around him.some of the passing between Cooper, Souness and Wilkins was outstanding.
 
Especially when we’d just spent £4M on his replacement!
It’s crazy looking back - Hateley got a new lease of life when Ferguson signed.

Signing a 21yr old solid prospect with a view that he replaces your 31yr old veteran was a sensible bit of planning as well.
 
I opened this thread expecting to see only one name - that of John Greig, but I realise being an older bear now that many posters will not have seen him play. Anyway, I remember the days when the mankies were winning their first (only) nine in a row late 60s early 70s. Domestically we had slim picking over those years, the odd cup and Greig was carring the team for years.
 
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.

That's it - the team was great and he didn't carry it all by himself, he did run it and carried us through games though.
 
Davie Cooper talked about it in his book... from memory, Greig thought that Cooper was a bit lazy in training and inconsistent in matches.

In true footballer fashion, Cooper thought he was being hard done to but when Jock Wallace took over, he gave Cooper a period of time to lose some weight... Cooper did it it half the time!

My time of seeing Cooper was at the end of his Rangers career and there was anticipation every time he got the ball... he seemed to come to life with the lack of all the pressure being on him and having better players around him.some of the passing between Cooper, Souness and Wilkins was outstanding.
Cheers mate,I've got The Life of Davie Cooper book by Neil Drysdale as well:)
 
It was in a book written about Davie a couple of years ago. It was a strange time, crowds were pish, most of the team were rubbish or at the end of their careers. Cooper was always my hero and definitely carried the Team.
I might have that book.I have one called the Life of Davie Cooper on my bookshelf.
 
No disrespect to the wonderful Davie Cooper but suggesting he carried the team for 6 seasons simply isn't true. He fell out with Greig by his own admission got unfit and was dropped on a regular basis.

To suggest he was by far the most talented player in the squad would be right as would his ability to at times to carry the team with his magic was also correct but he didn't do it consistently.

The obvious answer in overall terms is Greig both in his influence in great teams and poor teams and his ability to hold everything together through bad performances from both...
 
In my time it has to be John Greig, the years he held the club never mind the team, together it is no surprise we have a statue, to honour the great man.
 
Barry had a lot of great players around him but time and time again if required he could raise his game and show true leadership. Leverkusen away he was immense as an example and was only a boy. . A proper leader of a team and captain . May be a bit different from "carrying a team " but on some occasions he almost did single handedly
 
I think people need to get away from the idea that to carry a side you need to be surrounded by shite. If football was played on paper Walter would have left having done 10 in a row, that was a team full of title winning talent but most of them didn’t show it that season (even including my personal pick of Laudrup who I felt carried us a lot in the season prior under immense pressure). Sides like Barca would have gone a fair few seasons so heavily dependent on one player etc etc.
 
Probably not what the OP means as the team wasn't successful at the time but at the time I can remember thinking we'd be a lot worse off if it was for Lewis Macleod. Think he carried us at times.
 
I think Lennon and McCartnety said it best on the second side of Abbey Road regards John Greig.

Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight
A long time.

Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight
A long time.

No more discussion.
 
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