Souness and the SFA

Cambuslang Bear

Well-Known Member
Came across this link on Youtube. I started going to Ibrox in 1986 as a five year old. I remember the games, however I honestly cannot remember the in's and out's of our situation. Going by this clip, Souness was banned from sitting in the dugout by the SFA for two years. Is this correct? I vaguely remember him being sent to the stand and STV showing him shouting instructions from just inside the tunnel

Was it just jealousy by Jim Farry and the SFA or was it something more deep rooted?

Warning in advance, that drunk idiot Delahunt is on the clip

 
Came across this link on Youtube. I started going to Ibrox in 1986 as a five year old. I remember the games, however I honestly cannot remember the in's and out's of our situation. Going by this clip, Souness was banned from sitting in the dugout by the SFA for two years. Is this correct? I vaguely remember him being sent to the stand and STV showing him shouting instructions from just inside the tunnel

Was it just jealousy by Jim Farry and the SFA or was it something more deep rooted?

Warning in advance, that drunk idiot Delahunt is on the clip

when souness was savvy enough to use a mobile phone to communicate with the dugout, they banned mobile phones from the directors box as it "interfered with other peoples enjoyment" os some made up crap.
for younger bears, this hatred and corruption isn't a new thing.
 
The bottom line is the SFA broke their own house rules in February 1990 (v Hearts) such was their haste to get at him.

STV showed Souness inside the tunnel and I think he copped a 5k fine for that one. The important thing to remember here is that according to the SFA, we weren't allowed to use TV evidence at the time.
 
The SFA hounded Souness and as the OP says he was banned for something like a 2 year period. That pales in to insignificance as then reserve coach John McGregor received a 6 yr ban form the dugout/technical area in 1994.
 
The bottom line is the SFA broke their own house rules in February 1990 (v Hearts) such was their haste to get at him.

STV showed Souness inside the tunnel and I think he copped a 5k fine for that one. The important thing to remember here is that according to the SFA, we weren't allowed to use TV evidence at the time.

The SFA claimed that they didn’t use tv evidence but that their man had sports this from the stand which Rangers claimed was impossible, more on it in the clip below including the incident itself

 
As said above, Souness was given an additional ban after STV filmed him in the tunnel against Hearts. The SFA claimed they didn't use TV evidence.

We didn't speak to STV for the rest of Souness's time. Jim Traynor, then of the Gerald, was also banned. Possibly McNee too. All these bans were lifted by Walter when he took over.
 
The SFA claimed that they didn’t use tv evidence but that their man had sports this from the stand which Rangers claimed was impossible, more on it in the clip below including the incident itself

remember they fined us ÂŁ10000 for fielding a "weakened side" in the tennents sixes!!!!
we won the thing with that weakened side.
we were also fined because a digital trackside advertising board wasn't working during a televised scottish cup game.
there are many more that only ever applied to us.
 
remember they fined us ÂŁ10000 for fielding a "weakened side" in the tennents sixes!!!!
we won the thing with that weakened side.
we were also fined because a digital trackside advertising board wasn't working during a televised scottish cup game.
there are many more that only ever applied to us.

Was it not the following season from winning it we were fined for that?

As an aside the Tennents sixes was a great tournament but it was utter lunacy to risk players in an indoor football tournament.
 
remember they fined us ÂŁ10000 for fielding a "weakened side" in the tennents sixes!!!!
we won the thing with that weakened side.
we were also fined because a digital trackside advertising board wasn't working during a televised scottish cup game.
there are many more that only ever applied to us.
Remember the time in the Tennents 6's when Celtic were awarded a free kick because the other team kept the ball from them for a relatively long period of time? Hibs or Motherwell rings a bell.
 
The Tennents Sixes only lasted about 2 years I think after that ! I dont recall if Rangers ever came back.

IIRC, Nottingham Forest played in one of the Tennents Sixes tournaments instead of us.

Edit: Just checked wiki, seems they may have been an invited guest as were Manchester City. It's in my mind though that it was instead of us.
 
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Came across this link on Youtube. I started going to Ibrox in 1986 as a five year old. I remember the games, however I honestly cannot remember the in's and out's of our situation. Going by this clip, Souness was banned from sitting in the dugout by the SFA for two years. Is this correct? I vaguely remember him being sent to the stand and STV showing him shouting instructions from just inside the tunnel

Was it just jealousy by Jim Farry and the SFA or was it something more deep rooted?

Warning in advance, that drunk idiot Delahunt is on the clip


Farry & Co hated Souey and us in that era.

Whoever is in charge & Co this day hates us but love stevie clark coz he fits their agenda.
 
remember they fined us ÂŁ10000 for fielding a "weakened side" in the tennents sixes!!!!
we won the thing with that weakened side.
we were also fined because a digital trackside advertising board wasn't working during a televised scottish cup game.
there are many more that only ever applied to us.

They also fined us when Richard Gough (Gers Capt at the time) was asked in an interview would he like to see Duncan Ferguson playing along side him 'Yes of course'. The SFA deemed this as 'tapping up' so we copped a fine.
 
The SFA hounded Souness and as the OP says he was banned for something like a 2 year period. That pales in to insignificance as then reserve coach John McGregor received a 6 yr ban form the dugout/technical area in 1994.
Whatever happened to mcgregor, wasnt that great as a player
 
Remember the time in the Tennents 6's when Celtic were awarded a free kick because the other team kept the ball from them for a relatively long period of time? Hibs or Motherwell rings a bell.
Yeah I remember that. Celtc were playing hivs I think. The match was seconds from the end and celtc were heading out of the tournament. 2 of the hivs players were passing it to each other just inside the celtc half. The rules stated each team had to have a player in the opposition half at all times, so these 2 players were just passing the ball to each other just inside the celtc half, just out of reach of the celtc player inside the opposition half. There was nothing he could do. All of a sudden the referee stopped the game, awarded a free kick to celtc for 'playing against the spirit of the game'. Celtc went up the park and scored to go through to the next stage.
 
Wee aggie the st johnstone tea wummin even had it in for Souey.

The open anti-English bigotry and prejudice back then in the tabloids and on Radio Scotland was staggering, tbh. " Rangers and their English mercenaries " was not an uncommon phrase.
 
Remember the time in the Tennents 6's when Celtic were awarded a free kick because the other team kept the ball from them for a relatively long period of time? Hibs or Motherwell rings a bell.


Opposite way about. I laughed like %^*& at the time.
 
Was it not the following season from winning it we were fined for that?

As an aside the Tennents sixes was a great tournament but it was utter lunacy to risk players in an indoor football tournament.
no, we were fined for a weakened team yet still won it.
 
John Robertson was sent to the stand in the recent Dundee utd v Inverness play off semi final and was spotted standing in the tunnel watching the game after being sent off,very similar to Souness who was given more punishment for doing the same thing.
 
So it boils down to petty jealousy from the SFA. We had the temerity to stand up for ourselves and they did not like it one bit

I also knew Farry (not well, but well enough) and can confirm he was a grade A wank
 
C
Yeah I remember that. Celtc were playing hivs I think. The match was seconds from the end and celtc were heading out of the tournament. 2 of the hivs players were passing it to each other just inside the celtc half. The rules stated each team had to have a player in the opposition half at all times, so these 2 players were just passing the ball to each other just inside the celtc half, just out of reach of the celtc player inside the opposition half. There was nothing he could do. All of a sudden the referee stopped the game, awarded a free kick to celtc for 'playing against the spirit of the game'. Celtc went up the park and scored to go through to the next stage.
Christ... I'd forgotten about that !
 
The SFA never forgave Rangers for giving the government the excuse to pull out of funding the redevelopment of Hampden in 1980. The bulldozers were set to move in and then Rangers announced that surely the money could be spent better elsewhere, the assumption in the press being that we were touting the almost complete Ibrox in its place. The coming of Souness and the likes of Butcher, Woods and Roberts only ramped up the hatred even more, with even the Procurator Fiscal getting involved in the Rangers baiting after the infamous scum match in October 1987. Any excuse to hammer Rangers, and Souness in particular, was seized upon. It didn't end with his departure in 1991 either, witness Farry's scowling face at the Scottish Cup presentation in 1993. I doubt we'll ever have good relations with the SFA ever again.
 
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