Rangers v Hearts at Ibrox in season 1986-87

dh1963

Well-Known Member
Anyone old enough to remember the first season under Souness will tell you how much we loved it. After 9 years of misery, it was incredible.

2 of my favourite ever Ibrox games against Hearts were in that season, both ended 3-0. Hearts were a good team back then, they should have been defending league champions but for a final day disaster earlier in the year.

Game 1 was in the first half of the campaign when we were still suffering from inconsistent results and had fallen behind Celtic in the table. We were to go on a great run over the coming months. This game is undoubtedly remembered for the utter genius of Davie Cooper who was unplayable. He had scored a great solo goal against Hearts a few weeks earlier in a draw at Tynecastle, but he went one better this time by running riot all day plus scoring a solo goal.


Game 2 was when we were on the verge of the title, a win taking us to within one more victory to clinch it. Ibrox was bathed in sunshine, the noise was deafening, and Super Ally scored a hat trick. We knew the title was coming home after this. No sign of the Subway Loyal that day.


Both clips from the brilliant @Rangers Archive Footage page.
 
From memory we could have won the league at the April game had St Mirren beaten the scum at Love Street (as if!) but it was only delayed by a week. We were brilliant in both games and they were two of the best matches of a very enjoyable season (it's still in my top 5 seasons, maybe even top 3). We were very inconsistent early on and I think trailed the scum by something like 7 or 8 points at the time of the November game v Hearts (only 2 pts for a win then too) and it stretched to 9 in early December. But a good run of wins accompanied by that lot having an equally poor set of results got us on our way and we won it well in the end. Thanks for the memories @dh1963 :)
 
From memory we could have won the league at the April game had St Mirren beaten the scum at Love Street (as if!) but it was only delayed by a week. We were brilliant in both games and they were two of the best matches of a very enjoyable season (it's still in my top 5 seasons, maybe even top 3). We were very inconsistent early on and I think trailed the scum by something like 7 or 8 points at the time of the November game v Hearts (only 2 pts for a win then too) and it stretched to 9 in early December. But a good run of wins accompanied by that lot having an equally poor set of results got us on our way and we won it well in the end. Thanks for the memories @dh1963 :)
I keep changing my mind on what was my favourite ever season. But 86-87 is always in the conversation.
 
I was going through my old ticket stubs last night, I was in the main stand for the first time at that game in April, remember scraping my leg after the first!!


£3 for the ticket.
 
Great season - first time I think you could get a vhs tape of a whole season and Archie McPherson narrating. Reminds you that we gave Hearts a lot of tickets then and in the previous season the only time apart from parkhead club that we gave a team the whole Broomloan. Also the late great Sandy Jardine in a Hearts jersey
 
I keep changing my mind on what was my favourite ever season. But 86-87 is always in the conversation.
On balance I agree with 86-87 as my favourite season. We've had more successful seasons, for sure, but with apologies to Paul McStay, the buzz around the place was something else that season. Those of us who had follow followed through the barren years from 1978 until 1986, and there were some very barren years, in fact, speaking personally there was a sense of hopelessness at the club's plight just before Souness arrived and the turnaround during that close season had us spellbound.
Watching that game reminded me of the bit part players who contributed to 1986-87. You had Dougie Bell, Craig Paterson, Cammy Fraser,Ally Dawson, Colin West and Shuggie Burns all contributing, sometimes in lauding the Butchers,Woods and Roberts we forget these guys. I never missed a domestic game that season and travelled to Germany and Portugal as well. We still carried a huge away support at that time, something that due to stadium changes is no longer possible.
Yip 1986/87 is my favourite season.
 
Anyone old enough to remember the first season under Souness will tell you how much we loved it. After 9 years of misery, it was incredible.

2 of my favourite ever Ibrox games against Hearts were in that season, both ended 3-0. Hearts were a good team back then, they should have been defending league champions but for a final day disaster earlier in the year.

Game 1 was in the first half of the campaign when we were still suffering from inconsistent results and had fallen behind Celtic in the table. We were to go on a great run over the coming months. This game is undoubtedly remembered for the utter genius of Davie Cooper who was unplayable. He had scored a great solo goal against Hearts a few weeks earlier in a draw at Tynecastle, but he went one better this time by running riot all day plus scoring a solo goal.


Game 2 was when we were on the verge of the title, a win taking us to within one more victory to clinch it. Ibrox was bathed in sunshine, the noise was deafening, and Super Ally scored a hat trick. We knew the title was coming home after this. No sign of the Subway Loyal that day.


Both clips from the brilliant @Rangers Archive Footage page.

That hearts disaster is sadly memorable because I was in the govan when the guys around us listening on wee radios started cheering saying kidd (walter) had scored for hearts. Much excitement and gloating at the tims. Sadly it was actually Dundee's Albert kidd meaning hearts had lost the title to the mhanks.
 
On balance I agree with 86-87 as my favourite season. We've had more successful seasons, for sure, but with apologies to Paul McStay, the buzz around the place was something else that season. Those of us who had follow followed through the barren years from 1978 until 1986, and there were some very barren years, in fact, speaking personally there was a sense of hopelessness at the club's plight just before Souness arrived and the turnaround during that close season had us spellbound.
Watching that game reminded me of the bit part players who contributed to 1986-87. You had Dougie Bell, Craig Paterson, Cammy Fraser,Ally Dawson, Colin West and Shuggie Burns all contributing, sometimes in lauding the Butchers,Woods and Roberts we forget these guys. I never missed a domestic game that season and travelled to Germany and Portugal as well. We still carried a huge away support at that time, something that due to stadium changes is no longer possible.
Yip 1986/87 is my favourite season.
Cammy Fraser was quite a regular in the first half of that season.

Probably the other unsung hero was Stuart Munro, who kept the left back jersey for a few seasons despite Souness buying a few left backs.
 
I was at the game in April.. my first game was Hamilton in the Scottish Cup for my mate’s birthday - it was my old man’s turn to take us for the next game and this was the one.

I remember going over during what must have been the Easter holiday to buy the tickets from a kiosk in the Govan Stand, then looking at the tickets for weeks in the lead up to the game.

McCoist hat trick, roasting hot day and Rangers within touching distance of the title. Fantastic memories.
Funny memory is of Dave McPherson scoring what was clearly an obviously offside goal from a ball in from the right… obvious to everyone apart from 11yr old me who jumped up squealing, much to the amusement of everyone around us!
 
In the first game when Hearts were restarting after one of our goals the EE were giving Davie Cooper the plaudits he deserved and he responded with a subtle wee wave with his left hand. Don't know why but I felt it just summed him up, accepting the acclaim but just a bit shy.

I managed to get The Magnificent One's autograph on my programme before the second game and also make an appearance in that clip when he's taking a throw.
 
Cammy Fraser was quite a regular in the first half of that season.

Probably the other unsung hero was Stuart Munro, who kept the left back jersey for a few seasons despite Souness buying a few left backs.
I think GS liked Cammy and saw him as someone like himself and the type of players even WS and Advocaat wanted in that position but he just wasn't skilful enough - he liked Derek Ferguson as well but just no hard enough. Unfortunately Cammy wasn't too popular with a lot of fans expecially the time he gave the vicky to the Govan Stand! :rolleyes:
 
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That hearts disaster is sadly memorable because I was in the govan when the guys around us listening on wee radios started cheering saying kidd (walter) had scored for hearts. Much excitement and gloating at the tims. Sadly it was actually Dundee's Albert kidd meaning hearts had lost the title to the mhanks.
Same here up in the Main Stand we didn't know full score till we were outside and it was like we lost tho we had just managed to qualify for europe. Lots of green and white supporter buses on M8 from Paisley was baad. Another reason why 86/87 was so good.
 
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I was at all four games v Hearts that season.

The two at Tynecastle were highly memorable too, the first for a truly brilliant Davie Cooper solo goal that doesn’t get talked about enough, IMO, that gave us a valuable point (in the days where it was still seen as a point won rather than dropped) and the second for a memorable 5-2 demolition of a side who hadn’t lost at home in over a year.

As the OP states, Hearts had an excellent side back then and should have won the previous season’s title where they beat us four times out of five including a Scottish Cup win.

‘86/87 still represents my favourite ever season, made all the more enjoyable by the fact is was as genuinely competitive a league campaign as I can ever remember, one where there were actually five teams who had genuine aspirations to win the title that year while other clubs like Dundee, Hibs and St. Mirren also had very good sides too.

Last season runs it a very close second though.
 
Cammy Fraser was quite a regular in the first half of that season.

Probably the other unsung hero was Stuart Munro, who kept the left back jersey for a few seasons despite Souness buying a few left backs.
Phillips then Jan Bartram.
Souness dropped Munro for Phillips but brought him back for the cup final against the sheep and to combat the “threat” of Joe Miller.
Don’t know what the threat was exactly because if Miller was on the park the dressing rooms would be safe and there are no pockets in the shorts.
Maybe it did have something to do with the actual football!
 
I have 2 what if,s regarding Rangers. What if Gazza and Laudrup had played in 92/93?, and likewise if Cooper was a few years younger when the Souness show rolled into town.
 
I have 2 what if,s regarding Rangers. What if Gazza and Laudrup had played in 92/93?, and likewise if Cooper was a few years younger when the Souness show rolled into town.
I would love to have seen them together when both at best. Souness got great displays out of Davy cos he played him as he wanted and some better players round but here's another - what if we had got Souness a couple of years younger? Someone who could score from o/side the box dominate the midfield -- it would have been goals and carnage!!
 
I have 2 what if,s regarding Rangers. What if Gazza and Laudrup had played in 92/93?, and likewise if Cooper was a few years younger when the Souness show rolled into town.
That 92-93 team would have won the European Cup if we had kept Mark Walters never mind had the genius of Laudrup.

In my humble opinion.
 
That 92-93 team would have won the European Cup if we had kept Mark Walters never mind had the genius of Laudrup.

In my humble opinion.
Teams are usually improved by better players and Mark was great for us before going to Liverpool but sometimes the team can be better than the individual parts and that team really worked for each other and there was the 3 foreigner rule.
 
Teams are usually improved by better players and Mark was great for us before going to Liverpool but sometimes the team can be better than the individual parts and that team really worked for each other and there was the 3 foreigner rule.
We had Huistra, Miko and Dale Gordon as one of the non Scots that season.
Walters was miles more a goal threat than any of them, and the biggest reason we didn't make the final was we didn't score enough. And he would have totally fitted our team ethic.

Goram
McPherson
Gough
Brown
Robertson
McCall
Ferguson
Durrant
Walters
Hateley
McCoist

I still think they win it.
 
Bought my first Rangers flag in the 87 game ( was 13 at the time) bottom Copland brown section with my mate.
Was a glorious sunny day as well and hoping to get on the TV but never did.
 
We had Huistra, Miko and Dale Gordon as one of the non Scots that season.
Walters was miles more a goal threat than any of them, and the biggest reason we didn't make the final was we didn't score enough. And he would have totally fitted our team ethic.

Goram
McPherson
Gough
Brown
Robertson
McCall
Ferguson
Durrant
Walters
Hateley
McCoist

I still think they win it.
Preferred Walters to those 3 so on paper I suppose I have to agree it would be an improvement. We had Trevor Steven available as well after he came back from Marseille.
 
86-87 is my old man's favourite season.....probably due to the barren years and impact Souness had and calibre of opposition.

He says the football the team played that year was great.

My first Rangers game (that I remember, old man says he took me to the main stand for another game when younger and I just wanted to run up and down the stairs, thankfully I stopped that in my 30's) was Rangers v Hearts 87 1/4 final of the skol Cup but that was the 87/88 season, went on to win.

Remember being in the East Enclosure(not that I knew at the time as I was only 5) remember McGregor having a right scrap with a Hearts player in the corner.....anyone remember this, can't remember if he or the Hearts player seen red.

Ah the memories.....I remember my dad saying where's your singing and I belted oot "Super ally" in a high pitched squeal and all the guys around about couldn't stop laughing :D:p
 
Never missed a game anywhere we went those days, best times.
I'm not sure whether it was this game but around that time we played them at Ibrox and there was a melee and the thing remember I from it was Super sticking 1 on Sandy Clark's chin.
Ally never took shite on the park, same as Souness's 1st game at Easter Road, he stuck it on someone then moved away sharply, leaving Colin West possibly, to look the culprit.
 
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