In terms of reading material out there, and pertaining to matters historical, the difference and the volume of books about both sides of the Old Firm divide is not only huge; it is startling. You could make a good case for saying that in this instance our separated brethren have demolished totally the old adage that history is written by winners.
Now forget for a moment our inherent trait, no doubt dour Calvinism plays its part here, that we tend rather not to blow our own trumpet. Forget for a moment also, our rivals across Glasgow and their inbred need to lie and their penchant for endless and continual propaganda. A quick look round the sports sections of any local libraries and/or book stores will, sadly, back me up.
But what of Rangers history books and the effect, if any, they have had on the support at large down through the decades?
Well, the late John Allan blazed the trail with his trilogy, ‘The Story of The Rangers’, ‘Eleven Great Years’ and ‘Rangers’ Eventful Years’. John Allan’s nephew, Willie Allison’s ‘Rangers, The New Era’, was of course the fourth part in the series. That took us from the formation of the club up until 1966. (If you think about it, that is almost half a century away)
In the late 1980s and 1990s, there was a new guy in town with regards to paying homage to our history. I refer of course to Robert McElroy, whose two main tomes, ‘Rangers, The Complete Record’ and the truly inspiring ‘The Spirit of Ibrox’ took us onto a different level when it came to the club’s history.
However, and this is a sad fact; due to their very nature, the six books I have mentioned all have one thing in common. That is, as soon as they are published, they are not history books. Rather, they instead become books that are history.
This is not a criticism, but it is a matter of fact that as soon as the next season starts, these books, if used purely for reference, need to be constantly updated, and that just cannot happen in the real world.
For instance, ‘Rangers, The Complete Record’, which took us to 1996 originally, was updated a couple of years ago. However, since then I’m pretty sure we’ve contested a European final and had financial woes heaped upon us as a club that we haven’t experienced since the first Ibrox Disaster over 108 years ago. See what I mean? It is simply not feasible to update season on season for either author or publisher. Or, for that matter, the buyer.
If Robert McElroy has been the foremost ‘keeper of the flame’ when it comes to Rangers’ history these last thirty odd years (and the support at large owe him an enormous debt) then a certain Gary Ralston has tore up the rule books and concentrated on giving us a publication that has taken the breath away.
From the early to mid 2000s, there were various Rangers fans out there (unknown at the time to each other) doing some amateur sleuthing into the real formation of the club. Between them, they found out that Moses was born in 1855, which apparently was the year of the ‘long census’. That meant the birth certificate of anyone born in this year, included the names of all their siblings as well as maw and paw and their occupations, etc.
They learned that rowing at that time was a massive spectator sport with the boat race between Glasgow and Newcastle for example drawing huge crowds between both cities. They learned where Moses was buried and who with etc, etc. But nothing concrete about the young men who formed Rangers FC.
However, unknown to them all, journalist Gary Ralston had been doing some research of his own into how the club came into being and he was literally miles and miles way ahead of anything anyone else had came up with.
The rest about our history is as they say history. In the summer of last year the publication of Gary Ralston’s book ‘The Gallant Pioneers’ hit the streets and it is safe to say it has been a smash hit for all Rangers fans, especially those of us with a keen interest in the club’s formation.
This is an altogether different type of history book about the club; because the content within, meticulously and painstakingly researched, in a sense can never age. The stories of Moses and Peter McNeil, Peter Campbell, William McBeath and Tom Vallance cannot change. All that can happen is more knowledge will come to the fore. However it is hard to believe Gary Ralston has left any stones hitherto, unturned.
The real life stories of our Gallant Pioneers, and some are tinged and in cases dripping with tragedy, are now out there in glorious Technicolor. They have added substance, and the human touch to what to us beforehand had just been a collection of names. Names that had been referred to almost as an afterthought when the subject of our history has been broached, previously.
With the personal histories of our Gallant Pioneers now well to the fore, I thought I’d share with the readers of this fine website a wonderful poem that has been lifted from Robert McElroy’s ‘The Spirit of Ibrox’. For me this poem sits beautifully alongside and compliments Gary Ralston’s efforts.
A fellow, who referred to himself as ‘The Minstrel’ penned the following. It first saw the light of day in the Christmas Day 1899 edition of the ‘Scottish Referee’. This was written no doubt with the opening of the new Ibrox just a few days later in mind. Just feast your eyes upon the following;
The chant of Record Rangers
It was back in the seventies we mustered
A handful all told on the green
No honours our banners then carried
Our ‘scrutcheon was barren and lean
We were humble, unrecognised, very!
Obscurity marked us as theirs
We dreamt none of hard active service
We never were troubled by cares
A day came, ambition infusing
Desire for some honour and fame
We joined more pretentious circles
And strove to distinguish our name
We were lucky we’ll say since we’re modest
Dame fortune was kindly and good
For we stepped up a rung or two higher
And then as third-raters we stood
There were corps, quite content, unambitious
That still pitched their camp on the green
But westward to Burnbank we ventured
With pluck that in Rangers is seen
To the Scottish Cup final we campaigned
Three desperate engagements we fought
With the Vale ere ‘twas said we were routed
With honours that Vale dearly bought
Then our espirit-de-corps was insulted
Dumbarton derided our name
Our Kinning Park canteen it was reckoned
Too poor for the Sons ‘o Rock fame
But we wiped out that insult with vengeance
Old comrades remember that day
When we rose from the ranks of the middle
And first-raters entered the fray
Our fortunes were diverse and varied
And ups and down were our share
‘Hard-ups’ and ‘cast downs’ were our portion
And victories sometimes were rare
Yet we never gave in but still battled
We shut down the door to all cranks
For leaders we picked out the ‘good-uns’
The men who served in the ranks
Our camp then we shifted to Ibrox
Hard work made our men tough and trim
We persevered hard at our training
Developing body and limb
So at last we achieved our ambition
The ‘Glasgow’ wreath blushing, we won
When the celts we had to meet and had vanquished
But still we were longing for more
Next campaign it was tough but we triumphed
And we ‘blazoned’ the Scottish at length
And our leaders a conference bolding
Said ‘boys, we must muster full strength’
There’s a record the celts are now holding
To equal no corps yet dreams
So The Rangers will take the position
E’en though it impregnable seems
We did it; three cups we captured
But a greater achieved was left
For the celts meanwhile posed as league champions
And in which ne’er of victory bereft
But that record we bettered – Aye did we
We won it an ne’er lost a point
No wonder the world stood astonished
And Celtic felt put out of joint
Now today we’re campaigning in earnest
A hard task to ourselves we have set
Unbeaten we stand as League champions
Unbeaten in all we stand set
And we men to create a great record
All other corps’ records we’ll shift
Each cup and league win – still unbeaten
To give our new Ibrox a lift
We fear not the keen knives of Sheffield
Nor the ‘Villans’ rifles of Brum
The Celts and the Hearts we will vanquish
We’ve shouted ‘O let them all come’
For we’re climbing right up to the summit
And there on the top we will roost
As rampant are Champions Rangers
The greatest the world has produced.
So how was it for you? To me that poem is out of this world. I mean just look at the very first line; ‘It was back in the seventies we mustered.'
Who was this ‘Minstrel’ chap? It is obvious he must have been part of the Rangers scene from the outset. Given the date when the poem saw the light of day and because of ‘The Gallant Pioneers’ we now know with absolute certainty it could not have been either Peter Campbell or William McBeath.
The couple of verses, which mention Dumbarton, also highlight and illuminate just how much Rangers had to fight to make its way in Scottish football. We truly were the original ‘rags to riches’ football story
What had happened was Dumbarton sent a second string X1 to play Rangers in 1881. Their intent was clear, their first team was too good for our lowly side. No need to risk their first team regulars, when their reserves would do.
The ‘Sons’ weren’t quite so haughty the next time the teams met. Revenge was ours, as Rangers wiped the floor with them 8-0 in the Charity Cup semi final. The poem also covers our 1898/99 world record season. A record we still hold to this day.
So, the reason for this wee article cum poem cum gentle rant? Well, despite the works of messrs McElroy and Ralston we, as a support, really are as reticent and reluctant as they come when it comes to shouting from the rooftops about our proud history.
We have for decades, if not for our entire history, allowed liars across the city to claim some mythical moral high ground.
I mean here is an example of the difference in class between the clubs. Taken verbatim from ‘The Spirit of Ibrox’ :
'‘Similarly, a study of the respective Boards of Directors of both clubs indicates a class divide. Rangers’ first board in 1899 consisted of two wealthy employees (a carriage hirer and a house factor), four white-collar workers and a skilled tradesman, whilst Celtic’s consisted of one builder and six publicans!’'
Are there any other reasons why we should take our history seriously? Well, earlier this year there was a farce of a programme on STV hosted by two Celtic fans. (I’ll keep it clean) Over a period of a few weeks they decided to give us the chance to vote for our all time Scottish X1.
The bottom line is, when the votes were cast it was decided that the single greatest Scottish footballer of the 20th Century didn’t even make the team. One of only a few Scottish players of all time without peer. I refer of course to James Curran Baxter. Imagine! An all time Scotland team that included the likes of Billy Bremner, but not Slim Jim?
However, the moral of the story is this; if we seem to be reluctant to take our own history and achievements too seriously and decline to shout them from the rooftops, then we really can’t expect anyone else to, can we?
I hope you have enjoyed this poem.
t_gg
PS, Gary Ralston if you are looking in. Your brief, should you choose to accept it; is find out who 'The Minstrel' was?!