Would we have won the 93 CL Final?

[VGM]

Proven cheats no less.

Proven in France, not the CL.

 

[crookie_bear]

Milan, that year were for the taking.

 

[VGM]

Is that true, their name is not on the Champions' League trophy?

It is. They weren't stripped of the CL.

 

[Kylegib]

I would've backed that Rangers team to beat anyone as we went on a 44 game unbeaten run that season including being undefeated in the champions league. I still don't think we get the credit we deserve for beating an exceptional Leeds team who could've went very close themselves.

 

[Crowthornebear]

Yes I am sure we would have beaten Milan, I was at every game that run and I always suspected that they definitely weak at set pieces and we would capitalise on this.

 

[Main Stand]

I would've backed that Rangers team to beat anyone as we went on a 44 game unbeaten run that season including being undefeated in the champions league. I still don't think we get the credit we deserve for beating an exceptional Leeds team who could've went very close themselves.

To be fair, I think Milan went a 58 game unbeaten run. Leeds also avoided relegation by 2 points (something that always gets forgotten) not discrediting anything Rangers done by the way.

 

[SDF]

We also had Mikhailichenko, who was a great player, albeit not always suited to playing in Scotland. I’m sure Admin posted an article last week where Walter Smith stated he was one of his 5 best signings for Rangers, or something along those lines, and that he was an unbelievable player.

I went for Milan, due to:

1) We had too many key players injured;

2) Italian teams usually seem to edge out Scottish teams when it comes to the crunch (Fiorentina being the more recent exception).

Had we had our first choice team available -

Goram/Stevens/Gough/Brown/Robertson/Steven/McCall/Durrant/Mikhailichenko/McCoist/Hateley

- then we would have given them a hell of a game.

I don't see Walter starting Miko against the hardest working team in Europe.

 

[UpStepsTheHammer]

The fact we never got to find out kills me, and I was only months old at the time. For those of you old enough to remember this I can only imagine how much it stings

 

[SDF]

Milan, that year were for the taking.

Milan that lost twice in 68 games in Serie A and had just won 10/10 in Europe conceding once were there for the taking ?

 

[WinkieWATP]

I would've backed that Rangers team to beat anyone as we went on a 44 game unbeaten run that season including being undefeated in the champions league. I still don't think we get the credit we deserve for beating an exceptional Leeds team who could've went very close themselves.

Did you miss the thread during the week were selecting an XI from this Rangers side and the 99 side?

Apparently because that Leeds side nearly got relegated they were shite.

 

[Main Stand]

Milan that lost twice in 68 games in Serie A and had just won 10/10 in Europe conceding once were there for the taking ?

I find comments like that bizarre, I assume it’s because I wasn’t there at the time I can look at it without the sentimental attachments.

 

[SDF]

I find comments like that bizarre, I assume it’s because I wasn’t there at the time I can look at it without the sentimental attachments.

Milan's record in Europe

89 - Winners
90 - Winners
91 - Semi final (out after floodlight controversy in Marseille)
92 - Banned (unbeaten in Serie A)
93 - Runners up
94 - Winners
95 - Runners up

 

[Main Stand]

Milan's record in Europe

89 - Winners
90 - Winners
91 - Semi final (out after floodlight controversy in Marseille)
92 - Banned (unbeaten in Serie A)
93 - Runners up
94 - Winners
95 - Runners up

I was agreeing with you Dunc, it’s a ridiculous statement. If they had beaten Marseille I wonder if there would be such a hypothetical, I doubt it.

 

[Kylegib]

To be fair, I think Milan went a 58 game unbeaten run. Leeds also avoided relegation by 2 points (something that always gets forgotten) not discrediting anything Rangers done by the way.

Genuinely didn't realise that on both points. I always felt it was a great Milan team coming to their end and I again believed we were good enough to beat anyone. Regarding Leeds they were a great side and I didn't know they were nearly relegated however I think us beating them set them back as they were super confident they'd wipe the floor with us.

 

[dublinbluenose]

Milan's team for the final

Rossi - Tassotti, Maldini, Baresi, Costacurta - Lentini, Rijkaard, Albertini, Donadoni - van Basten, Massaro

From memory we'd have line up along the lines of (injuries + 3 foreign rule & Scottish cup starting XI)

Goram - McPherson, Robertson, Gough, Brown - Murray, Ferguson, McCall, Huistra - Durrant, Hateley

Trevor Steven was injured(would've played), Gary Stevens was out all season, McCoist was out with his leg break. The only other change I could see would be Dale Gordon for Neil Murray but Gordon was no longer getting regular games by then and Walter LOVED himself some Neil Murray.

The cup final v Aberdeen,the players were out on there feet in the second half.i don’t think Milan were quite as good as they had been in the group games by the time they got to the final.i think it might have been pretty similar to the final v zenith in 2008 where to win we would have needed to score the first goal

 

[Calgacus]

Milan's team for the final

Rossi - Tassotti, Maldini, Baresi, Costacurta - Lentini, Rijkaard, Albertini, Donadoni - van Basten, Massaro

From memory we'd have line up along the lines of (injuries + 3 foreign rule & Scottish cup starting XI)

Goram - McPherson, Robertson, Gough, Brown - Murray, Ferguson, McCall, Huistra - Durrant, Hateley

Trevor Steven was injured(would've played), Gary Stevens was out all season, McCoist was out with his leg break. The only other change I could see would be Dale Gordon for Neil Murray but Gordon was no longer getting regular games by then and Walter LOVED himself some Neil Murray.

I think we saw in the Marseille game at Ibrox that moving Durrant up front was a bad move. Domestically we could get away with it but it really affected the midfield very badly.

I don't know who WS would have partnered Hateley with, but I doubt it would have been the wee man.

 

[Stevie13000]

Yes of course we would have

 

[LorPak]

Voted Milan. Some team, even not on top form. We might have beaten them, no shortage of quality in our team and massive self belief in our squad, but if I'd been having a bet with my head...

 

[SDF]

Genuinely didn't realise that on both points. I always felt it was a great Milan team coming to their end and I again believed we were good enough to beat anyone. Regarding Leeds they were a great side and I didn't know they were nearly relegated however I think us beating them set them back as they were super confident they'd wipe the floor with us.

Leeds had a wonderful midfield and a decent strikeforce. Goalkeeper and defence were a mess.

I don't think we get the credit we deserve for beating the English champions because it was them.

 

[Main Stand]

Genuinely didn't realise that on both points. I always felt it was a great Milan team coming to their end and I again believed we were good enough to beat anyone. Regarding Leeds they were a great side and I didn't know they were nearly relegated however I think us beating them set them back as they were super confident they'd wipe the floor with us.

Yeah, that Milan team is one of my favourites to watch back. Pummelling Barca in the 94 CL final is a personal favourite.

Regarding Leeds, you may be on to something. I think it helped we had the likes of Hateley, Steven et al who obviously had the extra desire to go and stick it to them.

If they beat us perhaps they do go on and challenge more. Another hypothetical within a hypothetical debate

 

[Calgacus]

To be fair, I think Milan went a 58 game unbeaten run. Leeds also avoided relegation by 2 points (something that always gets forgotten) not discrediting anything Rangers done by the way.

From memory Leeds hadn't started the season too badly, but losing to us in both games, particularly the Elland Rd fixture (they hadn't lost at home for over a year I think) just derailled them totally.

 

[Main Stand]

I think we saw in the Marseille game at Ibrox that moving Durrant up front was a bad move. Domestically we could get away with it but it really affected the midfield very badly.

I don't know who WS would have partnered Hateley with, but I doubt it would have been the wee man.

I always liked the look of Durrant in what modern football would term the “number 10 role” because of his great football brain. He starts the move for the Hateley goal against Marseille with an excellent drilled pass to Miko.

In the modern game I think you’d have Hateley as the number 9 with Durrant playing off him and getting onto his lay offs like he did a few times in 92/93.

Classy player.

 

[colinwest]

Had we gone through in April 93, the mindset of the players and coaching staff would have likely shifted. We would have rested our players domestically, way more than we did, until the final. We would have seen more youngsters play.

Our players, Ally included, may have been “injured” for the Scotland game.

 

[dublinbluenose]

The pivotal result in the group was our draw in Brugge.on paper it’s a good result but we dominated the game and had some great chances to score,especially in the second half

 

[Lord Summerisle]

I believe a Hateley diving header would’ve given us a 2-1 win.

 

[SDF]

Yeah, that Milan team is one of my favourites to watch back. Pummelling Barca in the 94 CL final is a personal favourite.

Regarding Leeds, you may be on to something. I think it helped we had the likes of Hateley, Steven et al who obviously had the extra desire to go and stick it to them.

If they beat us perhaps they do go on and challenge more. Another hypothetical within a hypothetical debate

Cantona was gone within three weeks of us putting them out.

Not a coincidence IMO.

 

[Johnny Yen]

Not deserved because they were cheats

Of course, could have phrased it better, deserved winners on the night.

 

[Main Stand]

Cantona was gone within three weeks of us putting them out.

Not a coincidence IMO.

Aye he’d fallen out with Wilkinson I’m sure, did United not actually enquire about Lee bloody Chapman and Wilkinson said take Cantona instead?.

 

[Calgacus]

I always liked the look of Durrant in what modern football would term the “number 10 role” because of his great football brain. He starts the move for the Hateley goal against Marseille with an excellent drilled pass to Miko.

In the modern game I think you’d have Hateley as the number 9 with Durrant playing off him and getting onto his lay offs like he did a few times in 92/93.

Classy player.

That move was literally seconds after he dropped back into midfield, it was possibly the first touch he had after McSwegan came on to allow him to drop off the front.
The transformation in the team was immediate and electrifying.
I had genuinely stopped fully watching the game we were playing so badly, I was looking around the stadium and watching fan reactions then a quick glance back at the pitch....
Hagi's "Ibrox Baby !!" game was the closest I've seen to that Marseille comeback.

 

[Main Stand]

That move was literally seconds after he dropped back into midfield, it was possibly the first touch he had after McSwegan came on to allow him to drop off the front.
The transformation in the team was immediate and electrifying.
I had genuinely stopped fully watching the game we were playing so badly, I was looking around the stadium and watching fan reactions then a quick glance back at the pitch....
Hagi's "Ibrox Baby !!" game was the closest I've seen to that Marseille comeback.

He showed when he went to Killie how much of a complete midfielder he was and how he had adapted his game post injury.

The Marseille game goes on 5 minutes longer, with the crowd behind us and the conditions I reckon we grab a winner.

 

[Mason Boyne]

Milan were a great side but they did not play well in the final . If we had been there instead of Marseille , I think we would have had a great chance against that level of Milan performance.

 

[SDF]

Aye he’d fallen out with Wilkinson I’m sure, did United not actually enquire about Lee bloody Chapman and Wilkinson said take Cantona instead?.

Leeds enquired about Irwin and Ferguson chanced his arm on Cantona after having 3 bids for David Hirst knocked back.

 

[LorPak]

Yeah, that Milan team is one of my favourites to watch back. Pummelling Barca in the 94 CL final is a personal favourite.

Regarding Leeds, you may be on to something. I think it helped we had the likes of Hateley, Steven et al who obviously had the extra desire to go and stick it to them.

If they beat us perhaps they do go on and challenge more. Another hypothetical within a hypothetical debate

If I remember correctly, Leeds had eliminated the German champions Stuttgart before they faced us. They only became poor English champions after we beat them.

The 94 Milan demolition of Barca was something to behold. Barcelona's team included Pep, Koeman, Stoichkov, Nadal, Ronario, Sergi etc and they lost 0-4!

 

[Main Stand]

If I remember correctly, Leeds had eliminated the German champions Stuttgart before they faced us. They only became poor English champions after we beat them.

The 94 Milan demolition of Barca was something to behold. Barcelona's team included Pep, Koeman, Stoichkov, Nadal, Ronario, Sergi etc and they lost 0-4!

They did beat Stuttgart in bizarre circumstances (one off game I think, possibly an ineligible player?) no mean feat.

Aye, I’m sure Cryuff sacked half the team on the bus after

 

[Main Stand]

Leeds enquired about Irwin and Ferguson chanced his arm on Cantona after having 3 bids for David Hirst knocked back.

Thanks mate.

 

[Three-in-seven]

The motto of the team that season was definitely "No surrender"

Fought hard for each other, and had the attitude to win any game.

We could have won it, but will never find out.

 

[Calgacus]

They did beat Stuttgart in bizarre circumstances (one off game I think, possibly an ineligible player?) no mean feat.

Aye, I’m sure Cryuff sacked half the team on the bus after

I think you're correct re. Stuttgart, did they not have some large deficit to make up and scored about 4 ? Then the result was overturned and they had to replay at a neutral venue?

 

[SDF]

They did beat Stuttgart in bizarre circumstances (one off game I think, possibly an ineligible player?) no mean feat.

Aye, I’m sure Cryuff sacked half the team on the bus after

Stuttgart brought on a 4th foreigner as a sub in the second leg.

And spot on. Cruyff told Laudrup, Zubizaretta, Salinas and Goikoetxea they would never kick another ball for him on the bus home from the stadium

 

[Calgacus]

Stuttgart brought on a 4th foreigner as a sub in the second leg.

And spot on. Cruyff told Laudrup, Zubizaretta, Salinas and Goikoetxea they would never kick another ball for him on the bus home from the stadium

Ah, the 8 diddy rule

 

[jimbear]

A very hard call imo. At that point in the season when the final was due we were tired but I think that the occasion would have lifted us. I genuinely think it would have been a 50/50 game. I remember reading during that season that the Milan players definitely rated us. Apparently one player that they as players rated highly was John Brown. It's a case of ifs and buts regarding how things would have gone. The one thing though is that at that during the 92/93 season we had a team that was capable of competing against any other team on the planet.

 

[ao2]

They'd have been favourites are rightly so. But if one Rangers team could have done it it was that one. It was an incredible season but I do think by the end of April the long season (44 games in the league and going all the way in the cup competitions and almost the same in Europe) was catching up on us on with injuries and a slight loss of form, and it definitely carried over into the following season (which wasn't the best, though only by our own high standards). But it still rankles that Marseille were allowed to get away with what they did (Bruges too), and also the fact we didn't go for a winner against them in the away game of what was in effect the SF.

I said Milan would have won but it wouldn't have been a surprise if Rangers had.

 

[Deleted Account]

Is that true, their name is not on the Champions' League trophy?

Fairly sure no-ones

We also had Mikhailichenko, who was a great player, albeit not always suited to playing in Scotland. I’m sure Admin posted an article last week where Walter Smith stated he was one of his 5 best signings for Rangers, or something along those lines, and that he was an unbelievable player.

I went for Milan, due to:

1) We had too many key players injured;

2) Italian teams usually seem to edge out Scottish teams when it comes to the crunch (Fiorentina being the more recent exception).

Had we had our first choice team available -

Goram/Stevens/Gough/Brown/Robertson/Steven/McCall/Durrant/Mikhailichenko/McCoist/Hateley

- then we would have given them a hell of a game.

4 foreigners, 3 foreigner rule was in place

 

[Calgacus]

A very hard call imo. At that point in the season when the final was due we were tired but I think that the occasion would have lifted us. I genuinely think it would have been a 50/50 game. I remember reading during that season that the Milan players definitely rated us. Apparently one player that they as players rated highly was John Brown. It's a case of ifs and buts regarding how things would have gone. The one thing though is that at that during the 92/93 season we had a team that was capable of competing against any other team on the planet.

Bomber was a very underrated player, not the quickest but read the game very well and was a great foil for Gough. Vocal bugger as well, which is no bad thing in a back 4.

 

[Main Stand]

I think you're correct re. Stuttgart, did they not have some large deficit to make up and scored about 4 ? Then the result was overturned and they had to replay at a neutral venue?

Stuttgart brought on a 4th foreigner as a sub in the second leg.

And spot on. Cruyff told Laudrup, Zubizaretta, Salinas and Goikoetxea they would never kick another ball for him on the bus home from the stadium

It still baffles me to some extent how fairly simple administrative processes can go tits up. Legia Warsaw & Roma are two recent examples, surely someone on the bench or in the dug out must have realised.

 

[Calgacus]

It still baffles me to some extent who fairly simple administrative processes can go tits up. Legia Warsaw & Roma are two recent examples, surely someone on the bench or in the dug out must have realised.

Can only think it was heat of the moment stuff ?

 

[Deleted Account]

The pivotal result in the group was our draw in Brugge.on paper it’s a good result but we dominated the game and had some great chances to score,especially in the second half

Yeah, we fucked it that game. The goal we conceded is the stuff of nightmares

 

[SDF]

I think you're correct re. Stuttgart, did they not have some large deficit to make up and scored about 4 ? Then the result was overturned and they had to replay at a neutral venue?

Lost 0-3 in the first leg, won 4-1 in the second which was ruled 3-0 on a technicality.

Won 1-0 in a play off in the Nou Camp on a Friday night infront of about 10,000 people.

 

[SDF]

Yeah, we fucked it that game. The goal we conceded is the stuff of nightmares

Miko's attempt at a headed clearence that hit his shoulder.

 

[Main Stand]

Can only think it was heat of the moment stuff ?

Possibly, least Uefa were generous enough to give them a chance to redeem themselves.

 

[dublinbluenose]

I think you're correct re. Stuttgart, did they not have some large deficit to make up and scored about 4 ? Then the result was overturned and they had to replay at a neutral venue?

Iirc Stuttgart had won the first leg 4-0 and Leeds won the second leg 4-1.