Tragedy, adversity and desire driving Rangers fairytale - Henry Winter, Times Sport
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ForGodForCountryForever
Well-Known Member
Get the hard copy if you like Football Articles.
Henry Winter is the very best Writer of Football Narrative there is and by some distance.
Henry Winter is the very best Writer of Football Narrative there is and by some distance.
Andthecrywasno
Well-Known Member
Great article. Knows his stuff and writes well. Makes a difference when it's not the usual Scottish media culprits
Andthecrywasno
Well-Known Member
Great article. Knows his stuff and writes well. Makes a difference when it's not the usual Scottish media culprits
Andthecrywasno
Well-Known Member
Great article. Knows his stuff and writes well. Makes a difference when it's not the usual Scottish media culprits
chilebear
Well-Known Member
Thats some stutter you have
Big Hepy
Well-Known Member
combo breakerThats some stutter you have
Andthecrywasno
Well-Known Member
Thinking of changing the username to Dave Kings SpeechThats some stutter you have
Jonnyleblue
Well-Known Member
Good read, never knew the story behind Arfields number 
smileyteddybear
Well-Known Member
Smashing article
Hope that smelly shitehawk speirs reads that and quits his career in talking shite.
There's a lot of positive stuff out there much of it from outwith Scotland
There's a lot of positive stuff out there much of it from outwith Scotland
Why can't they all be as professional as that?
Ataturk
Well-Known Member
I remember reading Martin Samuel’s articles in The Times back in 2008 and they were awful. Patronising (the worst team ever to reach a European final etc), and banging on about Mojo being the first Catholic blah blah blah. When readers pointed out all the other Catholics that had played for us he said ‘if you can list them off by heart then it shows how much of an issue it is’.
Fat useless prick.
Fat useless prick.
Kuznetsov's Curly Hair
Well-Known Member
A great read. Thanks OP for posting.
Didn't know the story behind Arfield's number either
Didn't know the story behind Arfield's number either
Dalmuirbear
Well-Known Member
Another great read.
Brick Hithouse
Well-Known Member
The Times can never fully be forgiven for employing Spiers but on the whole I think its coverage has been excellent.
Souness’s Moustache
Well-Known Member
Where can I read it? It’s behind a paywall
Edit. Got it.
Edit. Got it.
theytriedtokillus
Well-Known Member
When the Rangers midfielder John Lundstram was growing up on Merseyside, he saw how unstintingly his father grafted as a joiner on a building site, getting up at 5.30am. He saw how selflessly and tirelessly his mother worked as a nurse. Their industry instilled in Lundstram a value that has always guided him, one he will doubtless repeat to himself as he prepares for the Europa League final in Seville: “Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard”.
Not many of the Rangers players who step out at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium on Wednesday evening have enjoyed a smooth ride throughout their careers. Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his players all have their own driving forces, events that particularly spur them on, whether setbacks, points to prove or simply a competitive instinct that never dies.
Lundstram is probably a mix of all those. At 15, he went down to Aldershot and tried out for the army because there were doubts about his progress in the academy at Everton. He worked hard, made the England Under-17 World Cup squad in 2011 with Jordan Pickford and Raheem Sterling, but still struggled to convince a succession of Everton managers. So he went on the road in five loan spells and played in League Two, League One and the Sky Bet Championship before leaving Everton and, via Oxford United, reaching the Premier League with Sheffield United. He worked hard. He still does.
Motivation courses though this team. Ryan Kent played only once for Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, in the FA Cup at Exeter City in 2016, but built his career elsewhere and is now in a European final. James Tavernier didn’t make it at Leeds United or Newcastle United, and played on loan in the Conference with Gateshead, but his work ethic has taken him to a European final. At 40, Allan McGregor has lived a lot, played a lot and missed Rangers’ 2008 Uefa Cup final loss with injury, but he’s now starting a European final. Persistence.
Van Bronckhorst’s men have a competitive instinct that never dies
ANDREW MILLIGAN/PA
And this is one of the reasons why Rangers have a chance against Eintracht Frankfurt: their determination, individual and collective. Always respect a team on a mission. Visiting Rangers’ training ground last year, I had the privilege to meet John Greig, the embodiment of all that is great about this famous club. What was immediately apparent was the deep reverence in which Greig was held by players and staff.
So those players striding out in Seville know they are stepping in mighty footsteps. Next week brings the 50th anniversary of Greig lifting the European Cup Winners’ Cup, having overcome Dynamo Moscow 3-2 in the Nou Camp final. Lundstram, Kent, Arfield, Tavernier, McGregor and the rest can take inspiration from the club’s history.
They will take motivation from honouring the memory of Jimmy Bell, the club’s much-loved kitman, who died two weeks ago. They will take inspiration from all the staff at the club who stayed strong and worked hard to keep Rangers going through the turbulence of the past decade. This is far from the most talented side in Rangers’ illustrious 150-year history, even if Aaron Ramsey is playing his passes, but they are a driven bunch. They are also stirred by the sights and sounds greeting them in Seville.
Rangers’ ticket allocation for Seville’s elegant 40,000-capacity home is 9,500 with some estimates predicting the same number of fans again have acquired tickets. Tens of thousands more are expected to travel, watching the final from one of the fan zones. There will be countless more tuning in from afar, whether back home or among the Rangers diaspora scattered around the world.
Rangers players know the size of their club, and the passion generated at Ibrox, but Seville will simply be another reminder of how big they are. “It’s worldwide,” Steven Gerrard told me when he was managing Rangers. “That’s the magnitude of this club. The support’s phenomenal.” Gerrard would stop at a service station down south and Rangers fans would walk up, wishing him well.
Rangers fans have travelled in good numbers despite the expense and logistics involved
CRAIG WILLIAMSON/SNS
History is being made, sombreros are being bought and songs are being written, such as Make Us Dream by Rangers-supporting duo SAINT PHNX. It went to No 2 on iTunes and was streaming busily on Spotify, such is the interest from fans.
Such were the numbers flying out that Rangers’ club shop at Glasgow airport will be open 24 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. The crazy expense and logistical difficulties have not deterred fans. Some fly direct. Some head to Faro, Portugal, and then board buses or hire minibuses and cars. Some go Glasgow-Brussels-Seville, others Manchester-Bologna-Malaga, others even Liverpool-Geneva-Seville; and some Newcastle-Amsterdam-Malaga.
Lundstram once turned up at Everton academy training in Liverpool kit
RUSSELL CHEYNE/REUTERS
One reason why Lundstram turned down the army opportunity was because he himself was convinced he would make it one day. He’s always had a self-belief. He even turned up at Everton academy training in the kit of his beloved Liverpool. His determination to make it at Sheffield United led to him taking a personal trainer to Dubai in the close season; then he returned home and worked out in the 4 Corners boxing gym in Liverpool. Hard work paid off.
Scott Arfield wears No 37 because it was the number of his close friend Craig Gowans when they were in the youth team at Falkirk. Gowans was moving a metal pole that supported nets to stop stray balls at the training ground on July 8, 2005. It caught a pylon and electrocuted him. Arfield was ten feet away. He has never forgotten the loss of such a promising young life, of a team-mate who could have gone on in the professional game or studied architecture at Edinburgh University. The memory is one of the reasons why Arfield works so hard to seize every moment. The number is a daily reminder. Arfield may not start but he will be ready when called upon.
There is a dark side to this support, of course, as those of us who were in Manchester in 2008 witnessed. Let us hope they heed the advice of club legends like Richard Gough and Graeme Souness to “remember who you represent”. Gough spoke of fans being ambassadors for the club. Souness urged them to avoid behaviour that would lead to “trashy headlines” and damage the club. Nobody wants a repeat.
Some Rangers fans felt the videos were patronising, but the club had to send a message. Uefa would expect it, the people of Seville hope for it and the decent Rangers fans deserve it.
Players and supporters know their club are in a good place, not just in the final, but in building for the future. The sight of seven academy players on the pitch at the end of Saturday’s game against Hearts, including the 18-year-old midfield prospect Alex Lowry, was of course mainly down to Van Bronckhorst resting A-listers but it also gave a glimpse of the promise of the way ahead. Let’s hope Rangers can hold on to their elite young talent, so the Billy Gilmours of the future stay and play at Ibrox.
So this historic final means so much to Rangers, and those who have worked so hard to get there, who have come through adversity and could now be 90 minutes from European glory and a ticket to the Champions League group stage. Rangers are up against difficult opponents but they have all the motivation in the world. As Lundstram tells himself, “Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.”
Not many of the Rangers players who step out at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium on Wednesday evening have enjoyed a smooth ride throughout their careers. Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his players all have their own driving forces, events that particularly spur them on, whether setbacks, points to prove or simply a competitive instinct that never dies.
Lundstram is probably a mix of all those. At 15, he went down to Aldershot and tried out for the army because there were doubts about his progress in the academy at Everton. He worked hard, made the England Under-17 World Cup squad in 2011 with Jordan Pickford and Raheem Sterling, but still struggled to convince a succession of Everton managers. So he went on the road in five loan spells and played in League Two, League One and the Sky Bet Championship before leaving Everton and, via Oxford United, reaching the Premier League with Sheffield United. He worked hard. He still does.
Motivation courses though this team. Ryan Kent played only once for Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, in the FA Cup at Exeter City in 2016, but built his career elsewhere and is now in a European final. James Tavernier didn’t make it at Leeds United or Newcastle United, and played on loan in the Conference with Gateshead, but his work ethic has taken him to a European final. At 40, Allan McGregor has lived a lot, played a lot and missed Rangers’ 2008 Uefa Cup final loss with injury, but he’s now starting a European final. Persistence.
Van Bronckhorst’s men have a competitive instinct that never dies
ANDREW MILLIGAN/PA
And this is one of the reasons why Rangers have a chance against Eintracht Frankfurt: their determination, individual and collective. Always respect a team on a mission. Visiting Rangers’ training ground last year, I had the privilege to meet John Greig, the embodiment of all that is great about this famous club. What was immediately apparent was the deep reverence in which Greig was held by players and staff.
So those players striding out in Seville know they are stepping in mighty footsteps. Next week brings the 50th anniversary of Greig lifting the European Cup Winners’ Cup, having overcome Dynamo Moscow 3-2 in the Nou Camp final. Lundstram, Kent, Arfield, Tavernier, McGregor and the rest can take inspiration from the club’s history.
They will take motivation from honouring the memory of Jimmy Bell, the club’s much-loved kitman, who died two weeks ago. They will take inspiration from all the staff at the club who stayed strong and worked hard to keep Rangers going through the turbulence of the past decade. This is far from the most talented side in Rangers’ illustrious 150-year history, even if Aaron Ramsey is playing his passes, but they are a driven bunch. They are also stirred by the sights and sounds greeting them in Seville.
Rangers’ ticket allocation for Seville’s elegant 40,000-capacity home is 9,500 with some estimates predicting the same number of fans again have acquired tickets. Tens of thousands more are expected to travel, watching the final from one of the fan zones. There will be countless more tuning in from afar, whether back home or among the Rangers diaspora scattered around the world.
Rangers players know the size of their club, and the passion generated at Ibrox, but Seville will simply be another reminder of how big they are. “It’s worldwide,” Steven Gerrard told me when he was managing Rangers. “That’s the magnitude of this club. The support’s phenomenal.” Gerrard would stop at a service station down south and Rangers fans would walk up, wishing him well.
Rangers fans have travelled in good numbers despite the expense and logistics involved
CRAIG WILLIAMSON/SNS
History is being made, sombreros are being bought and songs are being written, such as Make Us Dream by Rangers-supporting duo SAINT PHNX. It went to No 2 on iTunes and was streaming busily on Spotify, such is the interest from fans.
Such were the numbers flying out that Rangers’ club shop at Glasgow airport will be open 24 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. The crazy expense and logistical difficulties have not deterred fans. Some fly direct. Some head to Faro, Portugal, and then board buses or hire minibuses and cars. Some go Glasgow-Brussels-Seville, others Manchester-Bologna-Malaga, others even Liverpool-Geneva-Seville; and some Newcastle-Amsterdam-Malaga.
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Lundstram once turned up at Everton academy training in Liverpool kit
RUSSELL CHEYNE/REUTERS
One reason why Lundstram turned down the army opportunity was because he himself was convinced he would make it one day. He’s always had a self-belief. He even turned up at Everton academy training in the kit of his beloved Liverpool. His determination to make it at Sheffield United led to him taking a personal trainer to Dubai in the close season; then he returned home and worked out in the 4 Corners boxing gym in Liverpool. Hard work paid off.
Scott Arfield wears No 37 because it was the number of his close friend Craig Gowans when they were in the youth team at Falkirk. Gowans was moving a metal pole that supported nets to stop stray balls at the training ground on July 8, 2005. It caught a pylon and electrocuted him. Arfield was ten feet away. He has never forgotten the loss of such a promising young life, of a team-mate who could have gone on in the professional game or studied architecture at Edinburgh University. The memory is one of the reasons why Arfield works so hard to seize every moment. The number is a daily reminder. Arfield may not start but he will be ready when called upon.
ADVERTISEMENT
Rangers fans have swapped information, shared rides, and one even advised giving the postcode to Sporting Lisbon’s José Alvalade Stadium for those being asked by the authorities for their address in Portugal.There is a dark side to this support, of course, as those of us who were in Manchester in 2008 witnessed. Let us hope they heed the advice of club legends like Richard Gough and Graeme Souness to “remember who you represent”. Gough spoke of fans being ambassadors for the club. Souness urged them to avoid behaviour that would lead to “trashy headlines” and damage the club. Nobody wants a repeat.
Some Rangers fans felt the videos were patronising, but the club had to send a message. Uefa would expect it, the people of Seville hope for it and the decent Rangers fans deserve it.
Players and supporters know their club are in a good place, not just in the final, but in building for the future. The sight of seven academy players on the pitch at the end of Saturday’s game against Hearts, including the 18-year-old midfield prospect Alex Lowry, was of course mainly down to Van Bronckhorst resting A-listers but it also gave a glimpse of the promise of the way ahead. Let’s hope Rangers can hold on to their elite young talent, so the Billy Gilmours of the future stay and play at Ibrox.
So this historic final means so much to Rangers, and those who have worked so hard to get there, who have come through adversity and could now be 90 minutes from European glory and a ticket to the Champions League group stage. Rangers are up against difficult opponents but they have all the motivation in the world. As Lundstram tells himself, “Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.”
derekoftheden
Well-Known Member
First reply a mentally challenged. Lol
