15 January 1981 - El Hadji Starts His Pilgrimage

On 15 January 1981, Senegalese striker El Hadji Diouf was born in Dakar. A talented but controversial player, he has spent time with several different clubs across France, England, and Scotland.

He began his professional career with Sochaux in 1998, followed by quick moves to Rennes (1999-2000), and Lens (2000-02). At the latter, he scored 18 goals in 54 league appearances, which--combined with a strong showing for Senegal at the 2002 World Cup in which he helped the team to a quarterfinal berth--attracted the interest of Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier, who signed him that summer for £10 million.

Diouf failed to recapture his previous form and his time at Anfield was overshadowed by a March 2003 UEFA Cup incident in which he spat at a Celtic supporter. At the end of the 2003-04 season--in which Diouf failed to score a single goal--Liverpool sent him on loan to Bolton. There, he began scoring goals again and Bolton made the move permanent in 2005.

After four seasons with Bolton, he moved again, spending time with Sunderland (2008-09) and Blackburn Rovers (2009-11). But his scoring touch deserted him again and he spent the last half of the 2010-11 season on loan in Scotland with Rangers. All along the way, he developed a reputation for being hotheaded, with frequent bookings.

He moved back to England in the summer of 2011 to play for Doncaster Rovers, then joined Leeds United in 2012 after Doncaster's season ended in relegation. He last played for Malaysian club Sabah FA before retiring in 2015.

1 January 2005 - In Fairness, They All Were Probably Still Hungover

On 1 January 2005, Newcastle bought defender Jean-Alain Boumsong from Rangers in a deal widely regarded as one of the worst January transfers in history.

A French international, Boumsoung had played for Le Havre (1997-2000) and Auxerre (2000-04) before moving to Rangers on a free transfer in the summer of 2004. Although he signed a 5-year deal with the Glasgow club, his strong performances there attracted the interest of Newcastle manager Graeme Souness, who lodged an £8M bid that December, with the clubs finalizing the deal on the first day of 2005.

Although his time at St. James' Park started well, he struggled in the 2005-06 season, often shouldering the blame for defensive lapses that led Newcastle to concede 42 goals en route to a seventh-place finish. By the end of that season, new manager Glenn Roeder, who had replaced Souness in February 2006, sold the center back to Juventus for just £3.3M, taking a loss of almost £5M on the deal (though the agreement included performance-incentives).

Boumsong stayed with Juventus for one season, then played three seasons for Lyon before joining Panathinaikos in July 2010. For his time on Tyneside, a 2008 Times poll rated him the Premier League's worst January transfer. Since then, however, polls have dropped him down behind more recent transfers, including Andy Carroll's £35M move from Newcastle to Liverpool in 2011 and Chelsea's £50M purchase of Fernando Torres from Liverpool.

27 December 2009 - Stokes' Record Strike

On 27 December 2009, Hibernian's Anthony Stokes scored the SPL's fastest goal, but it did not help them much.

The well-traveled striker, who had spent time at five different clubs over the previous four years, was in his first season with Hibs after joining them from Sunderland that August. By mid-December, he had helped the club to a 12-game unbeaten streak that saw them take the table's third spot.

They were hoping to extend the run to 13 when they hosted first-place Rangers at Easter Road. And Stokes gave those hopes a boost when he found the back of the net after just 12.4 seconds, setting an SPL record.

But Rangers took command of the game and were leading 1-2 at the break with goals from Kenny Miller (21') and Kris Boyd (37'). They continued to dominate in the second half, with Nacho Novo extending the visitors' lead to 1-3 in the 53rd minute before Miller's second goal of the day (66') completed the rout at 1-4.

Stokes went on to have a fantastic year, scoring 21 goals in 37 league appearances.

5 September 1931 - The Death Of John Thomson

On 5 September 1931, Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson died after colliding with a player during an Old Firm match. He was 22.

Thomson signed with Celtic in 1926 at the age of 17 and, by February 1927, he had become the team's first-choice keeper, helping them win that year's Scottish Cup. Only 5 feet 9 inches tall, he was small for the position, but made up for it with an impressive leaping ability and a willingness to challenge for any ball.  His assertive style of play led to severe injury in 1930, as a diving save left him with a broken jaw, several cracked ribs, and two lost teeth. In that same year, he received his first call-up to the Scottish national team.

Then, in September 1931, an undefeated Celtic visited Ibrox to play Rangers in the first Old Firm derby of the season. Early in the second half, with the match scoreless, Thomson went for a loose ball and collided with Rangers striker Sam English, whose knee struck the keeper in the head. The incident left Thomson with a fractured skull and a ruptured artery. He was rushed to the hospital where he underwent an operation to reduce swelling in his brain, but it was unsuccessful and he died later that night.

Approximately 30,000 people attended his funeral in Cardenden, with many of them reportedly walking there from Glasgow, 55 miles away.

28 January 1967 - The Great Scottish Cupset

On 28 January 1967, Second Division Berwick Rangers delivered one of the greatest upsets in Scottish football by knocking Glasgow's Rangers out of the Scottish Cup.

At the time, Rangers were the defending Scottish Cup champions and were sitting in second place, while Berwick, playing under manager Jock Wallace, were in tenth place of Division Two. Rangers had won all three of the teams' previous meetings by comfortable margins of 3-1 (twice) and 4-0.

Still, a club record crowd of 13,365 turned out at Berwick's Shielfield Park and were rewarded with an unlikely result. The visitors dominated the early going and earned an overwhelming ten corner kicks by the 30-minute mark due to their attacking play. But Berwick claimed the advantage just two minutes later, with inside forward Sammie Reid scoring off the post.

Not content to sit on their lead, Berwick exchanged attacks with Rangers for the remainder of the match and nearly extended the margin with a handful of close chances. Rangers, for their part, scrambled forward in desperation but could not find the equalizer they needed and fell, 1-0.

It was a humbling loss for the Glasgow giants, marking their first defeat to a Second Division side and their first opening round elimination from the Scottish Cup in thirty years. Unfortuately for Berwick, they failed to capitalize on the win, losing to Hibernian in the next round.

In 1970, Wallace moved to Glasgow as an assistant coach for Rangers, then took over as their top man from 1972 to 1978, winning three Scottish Cups in the process, then again from 1983 to 1986.

22 January 1994 - A Drawful Day For Football (Sorry)

On 22 January 1994, the full slate of six Scottish top flight matches resulted in a point for everyone as all six matches ended in draws.

The day featured match-ups at both ends of the table, as league leaders Rangers were held to a scoreless draw at second-place Aberdeen, while bottom club Dundee held off second-bottom Raith Rovers, 2-2. Elsewhere, Celtic and Dundee United played to another scoreless draw, as did Partick Thistle and Motherwell, while Hearts battled Kilmarnock to a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle.

The day's most surprising result came at St. Johnstone, where the tenth-place side survived their encounter with third-place Hibernian, 2-2. It was part of a seven-match unbeaten streak for the hosts, but it proved to be a brief respite--three teams were relegated at the end of the season to clear the path for a ten-team top flight the following season, and St. Johnstone were the last to go, joining Raith Rovers and Dundee.

Rangers went on to win the league, while Dundee United lifted the Scottish Cup and Hibs took the Scottish League Cup.

30 December 2009 - And A Little Extra For The Home Supporters

On 30 December 2009, Rangers striker Kris Boyd became the Scottish Premier League's all-time leading scorer with a 5-goal haul against Dundee United.

Boyd began his career in the SPL with Kilmarnock, scoring 63 times in 153 league appearances from 2000 to 2006. In January 2006, when he joined Rangers for a transfer fee of £500,000. There, he got off to a flying start by scoring a hat-trick in his debut, a 5-0 win over Peterhead in the third round of the Scottish Cup.

By the time Dundee United arrived at Ibrox in December 2009, Boyd had won one SPL title (2008-09), one Scottish League Cup (2007-08) and back-to-back Scottish Cups (2007-08, 2008-09). He was also sitting on a total of 155 league goals, three behind the SPL record of 158, set by Celtic's Henrik Larsson from 1997 to 2004.

He matched the record before the half-hour mark, starting with a penalty kick in the 20th minute, followed by a long-range effort four minutes later, then a tap-in finish in the 29th minute. He went through a relatively quiet period until deep into the second half before finally breaking Larsson's record with a fourth goal in the 75th minute, then adding another for good measure in the 80th minute. One minute later, manager Walter Smith substituted him and he exited to a massive ovation from the home supporters. Rangers won 7-1.

Boyd left Rangers at the end of the season after collecting another league title and a Scottish League Cup, and increasing the SPL goal record to 164. After spending time in England, Turkey, and the United States, he returned to Rangers in 2014, though they were in the Championship at the time. In 2015, he returned to the SPL with Kilmarnock, his current club, and has since increased his record to 172.

24 September 1962 - The Rise Of The Super Ranger

On 24 September 1962, two-time European Golden Boot winner Ally McCoist was born in Bellshill, Scotland.

The striker, nicknamed "Super Ally," started his professional career in 1979 with St. Johnstone. He had a breakout season in 1980-81, scoring 22 goals in 38 league appearances, which led to a move to Sunderland. But after two unsuccessful seasons there, he returned to Scotland, signing with Rangers in 1983 for a fee of £185,000.

Rangers hadn't won the league since 1978, but with McCoist contributing 34 goals, they won it in 1987 and followed that one with nine straight between 1989 and 1997. In both 1992 and 1993, McCoist matched his tally of 34 league goals, winning the European Golden Boot for both seasons. Along the way, McCoist also won nine Scottish League Cups and the 1992 Scottish Cup. While at Rangers, he made 61 appearances for Scotland, where his 19 goals rank him fifth on their list of all-time scorers.

His played the last three seasons of his career for Kilmarnock (1998-2001), then moved into management. In 2004, he served under Scotland manager Walter Smith, then moved with Smith back to Rangers in January 2007. Upon Smith's retirement in 2011, McCoist took the reins for the 2011-12 season, which ended with the club in administration and re-forming as a fourth-tier club. McCoist guided them back to the second tier before resigning in 2014.  

14 August 1971 - Dalglish Gets Going

On 14 August 1971, 20-year old striker Kenny Dalglish scored his first competitive goal to help Celtic past Rangers in the Scottish League Cup. 

Dalglish (pictured, top left) started his professional career with Celtic in 1968, but made only nine total appearances in his first three seasons. But he impressed manager Jock Stein in a friendly played in May 1971, scoring six times in Celtic's 7-2 win. 

Stein rewarded Dalglish with an appearance in their opening match of the Scottish League Cup, played at home against rivals Rangers (who had beaten Celtic in the tournament final the previous season) and Dalglish justified the decision by scoring from the penalty spot in Celtic's 2-0 victory. 

Celtic went on to reach the final, where they lost to Partick Thistle. But they won the league for the sixth straight season (and would go on the win it the next three seasons as well). Dalglish provided a total of 23 goals that season en route to a grand total of 167 in his Celtic career, which ranks him 10th on the club's list of all-time scorers. 

Before he retired in 1990, Dalglish amassed a total of 366 goals for Celtic, Liverpool, and Scotland. In 2009, FourFourTwo magazine named him British football's greatest post-war striker. 

27 May 2000 - A Century Of Silverware

On 27 May 2000, Rangers defeated Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup Final, making them the first club in the world to secure 100 major trophies.

Founded in 1872, Rangers started the 1999-2000 season with 98 major trophies, including 48 league titles, 28 Scottish Cups, 21 Scottish League Cups, and one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They had the chance to take four more trophies that season, but were eliminated from the Scottish League Cup and the UEFA Cup in December.

The focus on their two remaining competitions paid off--they clinched the league title on 22 April after Celtic's draw with Hibernian left the former 17 points adrift of Rangers with only five matches left to play. Rangers proceeded to finish 21 points clear of their Old Firm rivals in the final table.

That left the Scottish Cup Final, played before a crowd of over 50,000 at Hampden Park. Although Aberdeen had knocked Rangers out of the League Cup in the quarterfinals, 0-1 (aet), the Scottish Cup Final was not as close a contest. Rangers won 0-4 with goals from Giovanni van Bronckhorst (36'), Tony Vidmar (47'), Billy Dodds (50'), and Jörg Albertz (51').

Since then, Rangers added to their silverware collection with five more league titles, four more Scottish Cups, and one more League Cup. 

17 February 1894 - The First Old Firm Final

On 17 February 1894, Rangers won their first Scottish Cup, beating Old Firm rivals Celtic 3-1. They currently have 33, while Celtic have 36.

Rangers and Celtic had already played once that season in the league, with Rangers winning by the comfortable margin of 5-0 thanks in part to a hat-trick from midfielder John Barker. Barker struck again in the Cup Final, played at Glasgow's Cathkin Park (then known as the second Hampden Park).

The first goal, however, came from defender Hugh McCreadie, who played in Rangers' central defense alongside his brother, Andrew. Barker doubled the lead, then midfielder John McPherson added a third. Celtic, who had won the Cup two years earlier and were the reigning league title-holders, finally got a late consolation goal from half-back Willie Maley.

Although they lost the Cup, Celtic exacted their revenge one week later, beating Rangers 3-2 in the league en route to winning that season's title.

10 January 2007 - Apparently, You Can Go Home Again

On 10 January 2007, Rangers confirmed the return of manager Walter Smith, who had previously led the club to a massive haul of silverware from 1991 to 1998.

Smith originally joined the Glasgow club in 1986 as an assistant to Graeme Souness. The pair provided immediate rewards, delivering the league title in their first season. When Souness left in 1991 for Liverpool, Smith stayed to take the reins and proceeded to win the league for 7 consecutive seasons, including a treble win in 1993. That success came at a price, however--in his 6 seasons in charge at Ibrox, Rangers spent £50m in transfer fees, the most of any UK club over that period.

Smith retired in May 1998, but not for long; he became Everton's manager the next month. But the successes did not follow and he was sacked after three seasons. After a brief spell as an assistant at Manchester United, the Scottish FA tapped him to lead the national team.

Meanwhile, Rangers found it difficult to fill Smith's shoes. His two immediate successors, Dick Advocaat (1998-2001) and Alex McLeish (2001-2006), both started well but soon faltered. And McLeish's replacement, Paul Le Guen, lasted only 10 months, prompting the club to send the distress call to Smith. He repaid them by returning Rangers to the top of the league in 2009 and 2010.

24 December 1898 - Everybody's High Is Somebody Else's Low

On 24 December 1898, Rangers recorded their record victory, beating Hibernian 10-0 at Ibrox. It is also Hibernian's worst-ever defeat.

The victory was no surprise--it was Rangers' 15th match of the season and they had won their previous 14--but the margin was unexpected. Hibs were just behind Rangers in second place and had only narrowly lost to them by the score of 3-4 in their meeting the previous month. The signs were there, however, as Rangers' last three matches included two routs of similar proportion, an 8-0 victory over Clyde in week 12 and a 7-0 win over Dundee in week 14.

After beating Hibs, Rangers went on to win their last three matches over St. Mirren (3-2), Celtic (4-1), and Clyde (3-0) to complete a perfect league season and win their second of their record 53 league titles.

6 October 1877 - Rangers' Lucky 13

On 6 October 1877, Rangers secured their record margin of victory, beating Possil Park 13-0 in the first round of the Scottish Cup. They matched that scoreline just over a month later in the same tournament, but failed to lift the Cup after going out in the fourth round.

At the time, Rangers were still a young club, formed only five years earlier. They got off to a strong start, however, winning their second-ever match by the score of 11-0. (A year later, they had their first annual meeting and elected staff, so that the club itself recognizes their official founding year as 1873.) By 1876, they were an established side, advancing to the 1876-77 Scottish Cup Final, where they took Vale of Leven to a second replay before falling 3-2.

They approached the 1877-78 Scottish Cup with the intention of returning to the Final and were encouraged by their 13-0 win over Possil Park FC in the first round. In the second round, they defeated Alexandra Athletic by the relatively low score of 8-0, then crushed Uddingston FC 13-0 in the third round.

Unfortunately for Rangers, they met Vale of Leven in the fourth round and fell 5-0 in a replay. They had to wait until 1897 before finally lifting the first of their 33 Scottish Cups.

16 August 1890 - The Second Oldest League In The World

On 16 August 1890, the Scottish Football League kicked off its very first season. It is the world's second-oldest football league, two years younger than England's Football League.

Although the Scottish Football Association had existed since 1873, the teams competed in the Scottish Cup and in irregular matches among themselves. By 1890, interest in Scottish football had increased, so that the growing number of teams needed an ordered schedule. As a result, a group of eleven teams organized the Scottish Football League. The eleven were Abercorn, Cambuslang, Celtic, Cowlairs, Dumbarton, Heart of Midlothian, Rangers, Renton, St. Mirren, Third Lanark, and Vale of Leven. Scotland's oldest club, Queen's Park, were invited join, but declined.

Four matches were played on that opening day: Rangers beat Hearts, 5-2; Celtic lost 1-4 to Renton; Cambuslang crushed Vale of Leven, 8-2; and Dumbarton drew 1-1 with Cowlairs. Renton were expelled during the season for using professional players, but returned to the league the following season. The SFL also deducted four points each from Celtic, Cowlairs, and Third Lanark for fielding professional players.

Rangers and Dumbarton finished that first season tied for first on points. After they drew a playoff match 2-2, the SFL declared them joint champions.

28 May 1888 - When The Old Firm Was Young

On 28 May 1888, newly-formed Celtic FC played their first official match, a 5-2 win against Rangers. Newspaper reports from the time state that the match was friendly both in name and spirit, in contrast to what the meeting would become.

Celtic were founded the previous November in the Calton district of Glasgow by Brother Walfrid, whose chose the name "Celtic" to emphasize the area's Irish heritage. It was a decision that linked the new club with Edinburgh's Hibernian, founded in 1875. Indeed, Celtic borrowed several Hibernian players for the match against Rangers (and would later sign several of those players the following August to Hibernian's detriment).

Accounts of that first Celtic-Rangers match are sparse, but show that Neil McCallum scored Celtic's first goal of the day, and thus their first-ever goal in an official match.

The Glasgow derby has since become one of the most hotly-contested rivalries in football, with Celtic and Rangers usually fighting one another for the Scottish league's trophies. To date, they have played a total of 387 matches in the league, the Scottish Cup, and the Scottish League Cup, with 155 Rangers wins, 139 Celtic wins, and 93 draws. Between them, they have 100 league titles—Rangers have 54, while Celtic have 46, including the last four.

24 May 1972 - The (Non-) Cup Winners' Cup

On 24 May 1972, Scotland's Rangers won their first (and to date only) European trophy, beating Dynamo Moscow 3-2 in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final before 24,000 at Barcelona's Camp Nou. Despite the tournament's name, Rangers (pictured, post-match) are one of five teams to win the competition without actually entering as a cup winner.

The tournament, played from the 1960-61 season to the 1998-99 season, was open to the winners of the domestic cup competitions in UEFA's member states. But the defending Scottish Cup champion that year was Celtic, who also qualified for the European Cup by winning the league, so Rangers, as the Scottish Cup runners-up, took the spot.

Dynamo, on the other hand, qualified in the traditional manner by winning the 1970 Soviet Union Cup. All eyes in the USSR were on them, as they were the first Soviet team to make it to a European final. Still, only about 400 supporters traveled from Moscow, compared to over 16,000 for Rangers.

The Scots dominated the first fifty minutes, going up 3-0, but Dynamo pulled one back at the hour mark, then heightened the tension by scoring a second in the 87th minute. With one minute remaining, thousands of Rangers supporters invaded the pitch, thinking the match was over. The match stopped while the pitch was cleared, then when the final whistle sounded, the Rangers supporters rushed the pitch again, clashing with the police in several altercations.

As a result of the supporters' actions, UEFA banned Rangers from the next season's competition, preventing them from defending their title.

10 May 1980 - Later, The SPL Determined That Water Is Wet

On 10 May 1980, Celtic won their 26th Scottish Cup, beating Rangers 1-0 before a crowd of over 70,000 at Glasgow's Hampden Park. The match itself was overshadowed by the pitch invasion afterward, followed by a riot among the rival supporters.

The Final was the last chance for either team to claim a major trophy that season, as both had been eliminated from the League Cup and Aberdeen had won the SPL a week earlier, one point ahead of second-place Celtic. Rangers finished back in fifth place.

Nevertheless, the Final itself was fairly tame. Neither team created many chances and they were scoreless after 90 minutes. Celtic found the advantage in extra time as forward George McCluskey diverted a Danny McGrain volley past Rangers keeper Peter McCloy. It was the only goal of the match, enough to give Celtic the 1-0 win and the Scottish Cup.

As the referee blew the final whistle, a multitude of Celtic supporters rushed onto the pitch. But what started as a victory celebration soon turned into a full-scale riot, as Rangers supporters joined their opposite number on the pitch and several fights broke out. The police tried to separate the two groups, but were hopelessly outnumbered.

Afterward, the SPL determined that alcohol had been a major contributor to the violence and banned its sale at league matches. Despite recent pleas to lift the ban, it remains in place.

28 April 1965 - A Lesson In Futility

On 28 April 1965, Glasgow's Third Lanark AC lost at home to Motherwell, 0-2, on the last day of the Scottish First Division season. It was Thirds' thirtieth loss of the season and their twenty-first in a row, which remains the longest losing streak in any season throughout Scottish League history.

Third Lanark started life as the footballing unit of Third Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, but separated from the military in 1903, taking the name Third Lanark AC. They enjoyed some early successes, winning one league title (1904) and two Scottish Cups (1889, 1905). The success didn't last, however, and they were relegated to the Second Division at the end of the 1924-25 season and spent the next several years moving back and forth between the top two flights.

By the 1964-65 season, they had been back in Division One for seven years and had finished as high as third in 1961. But they got progressively worse in the next few seasons, finishing one spot out of the relegation zone in 1964. They were not so lucky the next year.

Thirds were already sitting near the bottom of the table when their losing streak began on 28 November with a home loss to Celtic, 0-3. The worst defeats in the string were away to Rangers (5-0), St. Johnstone (5-0), Dunfermline Athletic (8-0), and Dundee (6-1). They hit the absolute bottom of the table on 9 January after a 3-1 away loss to Hearts and remained there for the rest of the season, finishing with only seven points out of 34 matches.

They spent two seasons in Division Two, after which the club was liquidated. They played their last match on 28 April 1967, a 5-1 away loss to Dumbarton FC.

In 1971, supporters re-formed the club as an amateur side. They currently play in the West of Scotland AFL.

3 April 2009 - This "V" Is For "Vacation" (From The National Team)

On 3 April 2009, the Scottish FA announced that Scotland internationals and Rangers teammates Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor were banned from making any further national team appearances. The bans were the result of the duo's conduct over the previous week, which included a late-night drinking session after a Scotland loss to the Netherlands on 29 March and making "rude gestures" while on the bench for a match against Iceland on 1 April.

Ferguson had been a stalwart for Scotland, earning his 45th cap in the match against the Netherlands - 28 of those as captain. He was also a key player for Rangers, having played for them from 1994 to 2003, then returning at the start of the 2005-06 season when he was given the captain's armband by then-manager Alex McLeish.

McGregor, by contrast, had made only 6 appearances for Scotland before the ban. But he had played for Rangers since 2001, with a couple of loan spells in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, and had captained the club in the absence of Ferguson.

Although both players had started against the Netherlands, manager George Burley dropped them to the bench against Iceland because they had violated team rules by staying out staying past curfew. While that alone would likely not have been enough to cause their dismissal, they compounded the situation by making rude "v-signs" to the cameras during the Iceland match. Upon learning of the gestures, the SFA sent the pair home from training, then issued the ban on 3 April. Rangers also took action, suspending both players for two weeks and stripping the captaincy from Ferguson.

Following Burley's sacking as manager, the SFA informed new manager Craig Levein that he could reinstate the pair. Ferguson declined a call-up, indicating that he wished to focus on his club career, but McGregor returned in August 2010.