Rangers v Falkirk 30-01-16 Programme Preview

RANGERS V FALKIRK SAT 30 JAN 2016 • KO 15.00 OFFICIAL KIT SUPPLIER

OFFICIAL CLUB SPONSOR

CHOOSE

POWER

MORE FLEX FOR MORE POWER AND ACCURACY

GET YOURS AT PUMA.COM/evoPOWER #CHOOSEPOWER

RANGERS

FOOTBALL CLUB

Ibrox Stadium, 150 Edmiston Drive Glasgow, G51 2XD • tel0871 702 1972 Chairman DAVE KING

INSIDE

//CONTENTS

today’s matchday programme:

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Directors JOHN BENNETT, JOHN GILLIGAN, DOUGLAS PARK, GRAEME PARK PAUL MURRAY

Honorary Life President JOHN GREIG MBE

Managing Director STEWART ROBERTSON

Director: Finance and Administration ANDREW DICKSON

Manager MARK WARBURTON

Assistant Manager DAVID WEIR

Doctor PAUL JACKSON

Head of Performance and Preparation CRAIG FLANNIGAN

Goalkeeping Coach JIM STEWART

Head of analysis NEIL MCILHARGEY

Head of Recruitment FRANK MCPARLAND

Kit Controller JIMMY BELL

Editor NEIL SMITH

Design GREG JOHN GILFILLAN

Photography KIRK O’ROURKE

Contributors ALICE HEDWORTH, NICK THOMSON, ANDY CAMERON, ROBERT CARMICHAEL Print L&S LITHO

8 SNAPSHOT 4 MARK WARBURTON 6 DOMINIC BALL 8

14

6

36

46

The views in this magazine are not necessarily the views of Rangers Football Club. All material is copyrighted and may only be reproduced with the written permission of Rangers Football Club. The appearance of an advert within this publication does not necessarily mean that the goods/services advertised are associated with or endorsed by Rangers Football Club. All facts and information accurate at time of going to press.

ON THE SPOT 14 ANDY CAMERON 18 FAST FACTS 21 PREVIOUS MEETINGS 22 BLUEPRINTS 24 ACTION REPLAY 26 QUIZ/CROSSWORD 32 LEE WALLACE 36 DAVID MASON 38 ON THIS DAY 42 HAROLD DAVIS 46 THE TOP TEN 52 JUNIOR GERS 58 FIXTURES 64 THE LAST WORD 66

//FALKIRK • CHAMPIONSHIP

RANGERS’ first game against Falkirk this season on October 3 ended in a 3-1 victory for Mark Warburton’s men, and it was Dean Shiels who got the Light Blues off to a flyer.

After just three minutes clever interplay between the Ulsterman and Martyn Waghorn unlocked the Bairns’ backline with Waghorn producing a clever back-heel to his team-mate who slotted the ball coolly past Danny Rogers.

Will Vaulks equalised with a stunning strike but James Tavernier and Lee Wallace scored late-on to secure Rangers’ ninth league victory in a row at that stage of the campaign.

Club snapper Kirk O’Rourke had a camera perfectly positioned to capture Shiels’ moment of magic and let’s hope the striker can do the same this afternoon.

4

//SNAPSHOT

5

//FALKIRK • CHAMPIONSHIP

PERFEC T HA RMONY Music fan Dominic Ball is hitting the right notes with Gers

WORDS: NICK THOMSON PHOTOS: KIRK O’ROURKE

//DOMINIC BALL

B

OTH on and off the pitch, Dominic Ball is a man for fine-tuning.

On it, he’s making the most of a steep learning curve here at Rangers ahead of what he hopes will be a return to Tottenham and Mauricio Pochettino’s dynamic young squad.

Off it, Ball spends his spare hours parked in front of YouTube with his guitar in hand as he teaches himself how to play his beloved instrument to the highest standards.

He’s a hugely talented individual, although his taste in music could be questioned given he admits to being a fan of none other than Justin Bieber!

Like Bieber however, 2015 saw Ball’s career rocket to a new level with his move north to Ibrox, and he started by explaining how his love of guitar music began.

“My mum always wanted me to play an instrument at school,” he revealed. “I started playing on the recorder back then, but I didn’t really enjoy that.

“I’ve always loved music though – I liked singing when I was younger and I really love the sound of an acoustic guitar, so I picked it up and I never found it too hard to get into.

“I had a tutor for a while, but after that I just started learning everything off YouTube, and I would sit there for hours learning and making stuff up – I’ve even written a few songs!

“Just now, I really like Ed Sheeran and even Justin Bieber at the moment as his album is good. I’ve also always liked the likes of the Arctic Monkeys, the Kooks and all that sort of genre.”

And while he loves the music of the Kooks, he’s also found the time to cook in a completely different way too as he is spending time living away from home for the very first time.

He reckons that aspect of life has helped him mature greatly over the last few months, and while he also admits to loving living in Glasgow, he hasn’t found the same affection for the city’s traffic wardens thus far.

Ball continued: “I love this city, although I don’t really go into the centre that often as every time I seem to go in I end up with a parking ticket or a bus lane ticket, and I don’t really know when I’m allowed to go in or not!

ED SHEERAN

ON THE SPOT //FALKIRK • CHAMPIONSHIP

8

//ON THE SPOT

Deano, who was your footballing idol as a boy?

No points for saying your dad just to keep him sweet!

(Return Of The King, Twitter) DS: “I would probably say Paul Gascoigne and my Uncle Sam Shiels who played in the Irish League for Coleraine.

He was a big goalscorer so I used to go and watch Coleraine and my Uncle Sam was a helluva player. He will go down as my idol as my dad is too old and I didn’t get the chance to properly see him play. He tells me he was good but he is not my football idol!”

Out of all your team-mates who has the best and worst car? Good luck for the rest of the season.

(True Blue, Twitter) DS: “The worst car has to be the physio Kev [McLellan], it’s smaller than a Smart car but I don’t know what brand it is.

Daz McGregor also used to have a bad car but he’s gone now, it was a red thing and it was ugly. Temps has a lot of cars so if you put them all together you would have a good one, so I’ll say Temps for the best car!”

Who’s got the worst patter/jokes in the dressing room?

(Sir M Elliott, Twitter) DS: “Liam Kelly’s patter is pretty poor to be honest. He does impressions and they are normally not very good, so I’ll have to say Liam!”

What’s your favourite previous Rangers top?

(Stew McIntyre, Twitter) DS: “I liked the orange strip. I had that one and I keep telling Jimmy Bell [Rangers’ kit man] every year that we need to get an orange one for a second or third kit. To be fair I think Jimmy is now on board with it so hopefully soon we can get an orange one.”

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

D

EAN SHIELS is hoping to help Rangers win the SPFL Championship title this season having helped the club to Third Division and League One success in 2012/13 and 2013/14.

The talented playmaker has scored 31 goals in 105 appearances for the Light Blues, but just how would he cope answering a range of questions - from the serious to the bizarre - from the club’s loyal fans via social media. Find out on the next few pages.

What’s it like to play for your boyhood heroes?

(Robert Carmichael, Twitter) DS: “It’s a dream come true to play for Rangers. I grew up coming to the games when I was at school and I’ll never forget my first game. I’m privileged, every time I go into the changing room I see my shirt and it still takes me aback now that I can try and actually help the club that I supported.”

How do I get my stepdad’s dog to like me?

(Tom, Twitter) DS: “I think you’ve just got to buy it treats or pet it a wee bit and take it for walks maybe. Dogs don’t really like me either so I can’t really help too much with that. I did have a family dog but it died. I hope the questions don’t get weirder than this!”

What do you get up to on your rest days?

(Scott, Twitter) DS: “I don’t get up to too much. I go and play snooker with Temps, I’m better than him by a country mile but I’ve got a daughter as well, so she takes up a lot of my rest days.”

I remember when Kenny [Shiels] managed Coleraine and a young talented boy used to kick the ball about before the game, was it you?

(Mark Rox, Twitter) DS: “That was definitely me! When my dad managed Coleraine I used to go to every game and I would wait for half-time to get a kickabout. I enjoyed that and it was really good going to the games.”

//FALKIRK • CHAMPIONSHIP

0-2 MILLER 26, MCKAY 70 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SPFL Championship • Monday 25 January 2016 • Cappielow Park • Att: 5,778

SUBS NOT USED MCGOWAN, LAMIE, MILLER.

>KENNY MILLER

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

GASTON PEPPER KILDAY O’WARE RUSSELL MCCLUSKEY (TIDSER) FORBES MCKEE BARR (SCULLION) JOHNSTONE (SAMUEL) MCMANUS

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

RANGERS earned a hard-fought three points against Morton to restore their five-point advantage over Hibernian at the top of the Championship table.

Goals either side of half time from Kenny Miller and Barrie McKay were enough to FODERINGHAM see off the challenge of a spirited ‘Ton side, TAVERNIER • and Mark Warburton’s boys even had to WALLACE overcome a quite baffling red card for Andy WILSON • Halliday to play the last 19 minutes with KIERNAN 10-men.

ZELALEM (FORRESTER) Unlike most Gers matches of late, it took HALLIDAY •• the visitors time to feel their way into the game, but with their first chance they really LAW (SHIELS) ought to have opened the scoring when MCKAY Kenny Miller peeled off his marker at the MILLER (BALL) back post to meet James Tavernier’s cross, WAGHORN but he contrived to head wide of the target.

Morton, to their credit, worked incredibly SUBS NOT USED • BELL, hard to close down the Light Blues all THOMPSON, HARDIE, over the park, and as such the game was CLARK. incredibly scrappy with goalmouth chances at a premium.

That was until Rangers earned their break with 26 minutes on the clock to grab a crucial lead.

From the edge of the area, Halliday took on the shot at goal but the ball deflected off the blocking Thomas O’Ware and spun into the path of Miller who buried his effort beyond Derek Gaston.

Into the second half, and it was the home side who had the first sight of goal as a Declan McManus drive along the ground from 20 yards just curved around the outside of Wes Foderingham’s right-hand post.

Barrie McKay took matters into his own hands with a thundering drive which cannoned off the underside of the crossbar and dropped for Waghorn inside the six-yard box, but he couldn’t sort out his feet and his eventual effort was fired over.

McKay, who had made the switch into midfield with the introduction of Harry Forrester, was causing all sorts of problems all of a sudden, and he finished off a superb break to give Rangers a cushion.

Breaking from his own half, he played a neat one-two with Miller on the edge of the area before firing high beyond the goalkeeper to put his side two goals to the good.

Ordinarily, that would have seen the Gers over the line, but major controversy followed in the aftermath of the goal with Halliday sent off for a second yellow after allegedly over-celebrating the goal in the middle of the pitch.

It was a completely bizarre incident and Warburton, David Weir and Jim Stewart had to be spoken to by referee Barry Cook as they, understandably, were left enraged with Halliday now missing today’s game against Falkirk as a result.

//ACTION REPLAY

>MILLER OPENS THE SCORING

>MCKAY MADE IT 2-0

>HARRY FORRESTER

>HALLIDAY SEES RED

//FALKIRK • CHAMPIONSHIP

THE INTERVIEW

ON RangersTV supporters can watch in-depth one-to-ones with a number of the club’s greatest stars, as they discuss their football careers and years at Ibrox.

In this season’s matchday programme we’ve picked a player and published a few answers from their must-watch interview.

Today, one of Rangers’ hardest ever defenders remembers his remarkable years with the Light Blues and his spell in the British Army whilst still a player at East Fife.

Name

HAROLD DAVIS DOB

10-05-1933 Position

Right-Half Rangers career

apps 261 (1956-64) • Goals 13 honours won

LEAGUE (4) – 1956/57, 1958/59, 1960/61, 1962/63 SCOTTISH CUPS (1) – 1961/62 LEAGUE CUPS (2) – 1960/61, 1961/62)

//THE BIG INTERVIEW

//FALKIRK • CHAMPIONSHIP

RYDC Presents £175,000 To Rangers Youth Department delighted to present the club’s Youth Academy with £175,000.

“We are totally committed to assisting youth development in any way we can and I thank the Rangers fans for their generosity. We are humbled by the continued support from the fanbase and I know Craig Mulholland and his team will put the money to good use.”

Mulholland added: “The Rangers Youth Development Company has supported the Academy since 1962 and we are thrilled to receive the £175,000 donation.

“The support we receive from RYDC, and indeed the backing RYDC receive from our fans, is greatly appreciated and will never be taken for granted.

“RYDC donations help support us in a variety of ways and the changes we have made to the Academy in the last year in terms of ambition, culture and playing style would not be possible without this fantastic support.

“We have made great

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

T

HE Rangers Youth Development Company has continued its support for the Rangers Academy by presenting the club’s Managing Director Stewart Robertson, Head of Academy Craig Mulholland and youth star Barrie McKay with a cheque for £175,000.

Since 2002, RYDC profit has been directed to Rangers Football Club’s Academy with more than £7 million provided in the last 15 years – and this donation outlines their commitment to youth development.

Director of Operations Colin Stewart made the presentation and the £175,000 raised is profit from Rangers Lotto, Rising Stars, Scratchcards, Stadium Bricks and other RYDC initiatives.

Colin has praised the generosity of the Rangers supporters who participate in their weekly initiatives.

He said: “The Rangers Youth Development Company is

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

improvements to our environment in areas such as coaching, medical, sports science, analysis and education and welfare and we really are grateful for this continued support as we attempt to fulfil our ambition of becoming one of the top academies in Europe.

“It is very early in our Academy project, however we have made good progress so far and working together with Colin and his team there is no doubt we can achieve our ambitious goal.”

The Rangers Youth Development Company logo is now displayed on all Academy strips from under-17 level and below, while Greatest Ever Ranger John Greig recently pledged his support by joining the RYDC board.

Full details on the Rangers Youth Development Company and their products Rangers Lotto, Rising Stars, Scratchcards and Stadium Bricks - can be found at www. rydc.co.uk.

OFFICIAL KIT SUPPLIER

GOALKEEPERS 1 Cammy Bell 25 Wes Foderingham 30 Maciej Gostomski DEFENDERS 2 James Tavernier 4 Rob Kiernan 5 Lee Wallace 6 Dominic Ball 20 Fraser Aird 27 Danny Wilson

OFFICIAL CLUB SPONSOR

GOALKEEPERS 1 Danny Rogers 21 Alex Tokarczyk DEFENDERS 2 Kieran Duffie 3 Luke Leahy 4 Aaron Muirhead 5 David McCracken 13 Alan Maybury 14 Peter Grant 33 Tony Gallacher 44 Paul Watson

MIDFIELDERS 7 Nicky Law 8 Gedion Zelalem 15 Harry Forrester 16 Andy Halliday 22 Dean Shiels 23 Jason Holt 45 Jordan Thompson

MIDFIELDERS 6 Will Vaulks 7 Tom Taiwo 8 Blair Alston 10 Craig Sibbald 11 Mark Kerr 24 Conor McGrandles

FORWARDS 9 Kenny Miller 11 David Templeton 14 Nicky Clark 19 Barrie McKay 33 Martyn Waghorn 42 Ryan Hardie

FORWARDS 9 John Baird 17 David Smith 18 Lee Miller 19 Bob McHugh 20 Alex Cooper 30 Kevin O’Hara

REFEREE: KEVIN CLANCY • AR1: ANDREW MCWILLIAM • AR2: MARK AINSLIE