Just Champion , livre ebook

Pitch Publishing Ltd - Jeff Holmes

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233 pages

English

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Just Champion: The Stories Behind Rangers' 2020/21 Title Triumph tells the tale of a league title win against all odds. Rangers were ridiculed in 2018 when they appointed rookie manager Steven Gerrard. But slowly, and methodically, he transformed the side into a machine, and one that would completely dismantle Celtic's hopes of landing an unprecedented tenth successive title. Now, 25 members of the Rangers family - from ex-players to loyal supporters - tell the story of how the title came home to Ibrox. Mark Walters, Marco Negri, Ally Dawson and Lisa Swanson are among the players featured, as is former director John Gilligan. The impressive cast list also includes comedian and broadcaster Andy Cameron MBE, former MP Sir Brian Donohoe and even one of Her Majesty's Ambassadors. TV stars, restaurateurs, coaches and entertainers all share their stories, and what connects them is an unequivocal love of Glasgow Rangers. You will laugh, cry and marvel at each of the unique tales in this book.

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Scotland

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Publié par	Pitch Publishing Ltd
Date de parution	07 juin 2021
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781801500227
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0500€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2021
Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
Jeff Holmes, 2021
Every effort has been made to trace the copyright.
Any oversight will be rectified in future editions at the earliest opportunity by the publisher.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Publisher.
A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library
Print ISBN 9781801500043
eBook ISBN 9781801500227
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Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword by Connor Goldson, Rangers FC
Introduction
From the Boardroom
Mark Walters
Marco Negri
Lisa Swanson
Return of the Rangers Men: Paul Murray Former Rangers Chairman and Director
Josh Holmes
John Wallace
Sammy King
Ambassador Chris Sainty
Don MacLean
Chris Mayhead
Fraser Aird
A Ranger Forever: Derek Johnstone
Stephen Millar
Andy Cameron MBE
Stephen Purdon
Alan Denniston
The Road to Redemption: John Gilligan
Tam Young
Tim Webb
Andy Scott
A Season to Remember: Murdo Fraser, MSP
John Macinnes
Ally Dawson
Satty Singh
Alex Totten
Nancy Honeyball
The Helicopter is Changing Direction: Alex McLeish
Sir Brian Donohoe
So, What Did 55 Mean to You?
Photos
This book is dedicated to three special guys. Whether we went to the games together, or enjoyed chatting about our team, Ibrox was a special place for all three.
You will never be forgotten.
John Geddes
28 August 1957-30 November 2020
Sean Graham
30 March 1968-16 January 2021
Jim Baillie
28 November 1954-2 February 2021
Acknowledgements
A BOOK such as this is only as good as the sum parts of its contributors, and in that respect I ve been blessed with a lengthy list of the best. When it was decided that I should ask others to turn their attention to specific key games, working out a list of who I wanted to contribute took almost as long as coming up with a title (and anyone who knows me knows that it s my Achilles heel).
Each contributor had a unique story to tell. The only qualification necessary was a love of Rangers. So I set about working my way through a preferred list of contributors, and pleased to report that to a person (just about), this is what we have. Twenty-nine folk, all members of the Rangers family and from all walks of life, be they a former player, manager, coach or director. Or a Sir, an MBE or a British Ambassador, or a supporter of our famous club; each one was only too happy to tell their story. Everyone is someone in this life and, in my eyes, we are all equal. I m indebted to each contributor, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. On this occasion, I m the Pritt Stick. My role has been to stick the stories together, but the following list of contributors (in chapter order) showcases the important folk. Quite often you read a testimony saying, I couldn t have done it without well, I really couldn t, so thank you.
To the guys who took the battle to the invaders. I m deeply indebted to Dave King, John Gilligan and Paul Murray for the opportunity to include their thoughts in this book.
To Connor Goldson for a marvellous foreword. I m honoured that the vice-captain of our club took the time to contribute, in between marshalling that incredible Iron Curtain Mk II defence. Connor has been a great credit to Rangers this season and is surely destined for our Hall of Fame.
Contributors: Mark Walters, Marco Negri, Lisa Swanson, Josh Holmes, John Wallace, Sammy King, HM Ambassador Chris Sainty, Don MacLean, Chris Mayhead, Fraser Aird, Derek Johnstone, Stephen Millar, Andy Cameron MBE, Stephen Purdon, Alan Denniston, Tam Young, Tim Webb, Andy Scott, Murdo Fraser MSP, John Macinnes, Ally Dawson, Satty Singh, Alex Totten, Nancy Honeyball, Alex McLeish and Sir Brian Donohoe.
Thanks also to David Graham, at Rangers, Willie Vass, Lyndsey Maitland, Catherine Young, Bobby Young, Ciaran Hill, Rachael Brown, Andy Halley, Iain Martin, and my wife, Elaine Holmes, for her usual, unstinting support. And to all those who allowed me to use their photographs.
And, as always, my publisher: Paul Camillin, Jane Camillin, and the terrific team at Pitch Publishing.
Foreword by Connor Goldson, Rangers FC
AS A footballer, you go into every season hoping that come May you re still in with a chance of lifting silverware. This one was no different. The motivation is ever-present, but success is a marriage of many different factors. As an individual, and as part of a team, you have no control over fate - so you get on with your job, you train hard, you live right, you listen to the manager and the coaching team s instructions, and your motivation, drive and desire are with you every time you cross that white line.
We ve received lots of plaudits this season for the manner in which we ve defended, created and attacked, but it s almost three years to the day since I arrived at Ibrox and what you see on the park on matchday: all the components that go into defending a set piece, playing free-flowing football middle-to-front, or scoring from a well-worked move, are all things we ve been working on day in, day out since my first day at the club. There is no magic formula; it s good organisation and hard work.
The gaffer has worked tirelessly to put together a squad that would give us a chance of being successful, and it was fantastic to see certain things pay off the way they did. Apart from winning football matches the big buzz for me is to see something you ve worked hard on pay dividends.
We started the season well and had seven successive clean sheets in the league. That gave us a solid foundation to keep building on, and every time we managed to keep a clean sheet, we wanted another. We defended really well as a team, and the ability to play a settled side most weeks was a bonus.
We decided early on that the mantra would be one game at a time , and we meant it. We didn t ever get too far ahead of ourselves and it stood us in good stead.
Playing in empty stadiums was bizarre at first, but we soon got used to it, and instead of having 50,000 behind us at Ibrox, we knew it was down to us and the coaching staff. We were well aware that our supporters were watching on from home every week and we were determined not to let them down. When we beat St Mirren 3-0 to all but clinch the title, the natural thing was to celebrate with the supporters, but sadly the stadium was empty. Still, it was a great feeling knowing that when we d needed it, we had come up with another commanding performance. That was very satisfying.
Winning the league with Rangers has been incredible. You dream of moments like this when you re a young lad playing with your mates, but the reality is very different.
It has been well documented the amount of football I ve played this season, and that means so much to me as I ve had my ups and down in the last few years. When I signed for Rangers I was well aware that the club hadn t won the league for a few years, so our first was always going to be special. But more than anything, we re all delighted that we managed to deliver this one for the supporters. It was an important season, for a variety of reasons, so there was a lot of pressure on the players and everyone at the club, but we ve come through it well, and getting our hands on the trophy was the culmination of a long, hard season.
We ve learned so much this term; we ve also achieved so much, but the journey isn t finished. Rangers is such a special club and winning the league gives you the appetite to win more. We may have been playing in empty stadiums, but we knew that our supporters were still with us every step of the way, and this one is for them!
Introduction
SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP champions!
Let s take a moment to soak it up and consider the significance of title number 55.
It would be so easy to take the fork in the road marked karma , but let s not become bogged down in retribution; let s focus on the positive, or at least the facts. Celtic didn t lose the title, Rangers won it. Ten in a row only ever existed in the ether region. Fifty-five always trumped the ten.
It s a bit like the movie that s building up to a thrilling climax: there are disappointments before the big bang, but the good guys win in the end.
Or maybe that s being too simplistic. How about making the correlation between the events of Friday, 6 March 2015 and this season s title, because without one, perhaps you don t have the other. Without Dave King, John Gilligan, Paul Murray and the other guys securing such an important victory at the EGM, maybe the club takes the fork in the road marked mediocrity . In fact, there s no maybe about it. Profit before players.
Perhaps it s significant that the decisive win of the season, 3-0 over St Mirren which all but clinched the title, took place six years to the day from that astonishing boardroom success. So it s important to remember that while Steven Gerrard, his backroom team and the players have performed heroics this season, we will forever owe a debt of gratitude to those who worked so fervently behind the scenes to ensure our great club was rescued from the clutches of individuals who did not have the best interests of Rangers at heart. The consequences of failure that day are too frightening to contemplate.
So let s now enjoy this one. And speaking as someone who has watched Rangers win many championships, it truly was special. F