Rangers - Ibrox Stadium

4^th August 1999

Rangers 3-0 FC Haka

Tickets to Ibrox were often difficult to find during the 1990s, and anyway I did not much fancy sitting with a group of Rangers fans watching the Teddy Bears take apart some under-funded, under-supported provincial side.  Nor, come to that, did I feel I wanted to sit in the away section at Ibrox, watching the over-funded and over-supported Teddy Bears dismantle a provincial side.  

A suitable compromise, I felt, would be to visit Ibrox on a European night.  It was, after all, part of my self-imposed pact with the Football Gods that I would support Rangers (or Celtic) whenever they competed in Europe.

An ideal opportunity occurred early in season 1999/2000 when Rangers hosted Finnish side FC Haka in a Champions League qualifying round tie.  With Rangers having already won 4-1 in Finland, I guessed tickets should be relatively easy to come by for this tie.  And so it proved – simply turning up on the night and loitering around outside Ibrox, I was soon inundated with offers of tickets.

Even with the slightly silly modern hat, the exterior
of Archibald Leitch's main stand at Ibrox still exudes class.

Same view in 2025

Rangers, somewhat perversely, looked rather nervy in the opening first quarter of an hour (or it could just have been complacency), and twice central defender Lorenzo Amoruso gave the ball away in silly areas, which more accomplished opponents would have punished.  But once Rod WALLACE shot Rangers in front in the 15^th minute, the match settled down into a training session.  Jonatan JOHANSSON scored a second after 28 minutes, with Gabriel AMATO’s header completing the scoring with 24 minutes remaining.  

Thus Rangers progressed with a 7-1 aggregate win.

 

The big screen in the corner would show footage of the Pamplona Bull Run,
ending with the message "Avoid The Rush"
- exhorting the faithful to go for their pies etc early.

 

Same view in 2025

 

Panorama of Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow - damn that bloody pillar.

Sorta the Same view in 2025 - only I was in the top tier
of the main stand this time, so avoided the pillars.

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Rangers 0-2 St Mirren

22nd February 2025

It was over a quarter of a century since I last attended a football match at Ibrox, and I cannot say I noticed much difference to the place.  Although there had been recent renovation work in the Copeland Road stand, I believe.

No, the main difference these days, is that whilst the Rangers side of 1999 was pretty decent, this current lot are dire.  

This 2-0 defeat to St. Mirren arrived hot on the heels of the Ibrox club being knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Queens Park. 

By coincidence Lorenzo Amoruso, whom I had seen playing on my
last visit to Ibrox in 1999 had been invited along to make the half-time draw.

St Mirren fans have just learned VAR has scored their opening goal.

"I'm awa' tae watch the rugby"

Oh, hasten! oh, let us not linger!

      Oh, fly!—let us fly!—for we must."

In terror she spoke, letting sink her

      Wings till they trailed in the dust—

In agony sobbed, letting sink her

      Plumes till they trailed in the dust—

      Till they sorrowfully trailed in the dust.

  

Before wandering back into the city centre I took a detour to Helen Street to see what, if anything, remained of Moor Park, the former ground of St Anthony's FC.  The Ants had moved out of Moor Park to a new ground up the road in 1999.  

What few buildings there had been, were not surprisingly, long gone.  But I am fairly sure the grass banking to the right of the pic below surrounded the old pitch.  And, indeed, that the area now covered with black ash was once the playing surface.  

 

Some footage of the ground from 1998 may be found here:

St Anthonys 3-1 Dunipace (3/10/98)