Gazzas_Flute 11 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 by Matthew Lindsay RANGERS officials are often asked by dignitaries from visiting clubs and their own supporters why there is no club museum. After all, the Glasgow giants, founded way back in 1873, have a rich and colourful history which would fascinate anybody with a love of football. Yet, the answer to these queries is always the same - Ibrox Stadium itself displays all of the items which are of histor-ical significance to the Gers. The many articles of clothing, caps, photographs, paintings, medals, miscellaneous pieces of memorabilia and trophies inside the world-famous Govan ground tell Rangers' remarkable story eloquently. That is especially true now that the exhibits which will be on show to visitors on tours of the Category B-listed building have been extensively updated and expanded. For instance, mementoes from the club's epic run to the Uefa Cup Final in Manchester last year - including the medal which manager Walter Smith collected after the game with Zenit St Petersburg - can now be seen in the breathtaking trophy room. Sandy Jardine, the legendary former player who now works at Rangers as player recruitment and welfare manager, has been heavily involved in the extensive overhaul. He said: "There are a lot of great stadiums in the world. There are some wonderful brand new stadiums. "But not many of them have a trophy room like we do. As soon as you walk in it has a wow affect. "Over the last four or five months we have taken it and changed it a bit. Because we had new memorabilia we have taken all the pennants and put them up high where everybody can still see them. We have put new memorabilia around the wall. But we also still have extremely old pieces of memorabilia as well. "We have the original of the constitution of the club in 1874. It tells you the rules, tells you what the club will be called, what the strip will be like, and the people who will be involved, Moses McNeil, people like that. Jardine added: "But we have many other things. We have Willie Waddell's handwritten team for the European Cup- Winners' Cup Final in 1972. "It is written on the morning of the match. He still hadn't decided what the team was. One position was between Penman, Conn and Parlane. "We have the handwritten team lines drawn up by manager Scot Symon at the Grand Hotel and handed to the referee before the very first European final we played in 1960. "In those days European competitions weren't as regulated and didn't have the same back-up and admin. "Whenever we win a cham-pionship we put a miniature of the league flag up on the wall in the trophy room. We have a world record of 51. Hopefully, we will get another one to add to our collection at the end of the season." While Rangers fans could spend hours poring over the many exhibits in the well-stocked trophy room, the same is true of other stops on the tour - the old manager's office as well as the impressive Blue Room. Jardine continued: "We have manager memorabilia in the office. We have the typewriter that Mrs Dallas, Bill Struth's secretary, used to type letters. "It has Rangers headed notepaper from 1925 in it. We have the ink stand which used to sit on the table. Any player who signed for the club would have used that ink to put pen to paper. We have Bill Struth's walking stick for his bad leg. "We have the decanter set which was given to Willie Waddell on the occasion of the completion of the redevelopment of Ibrox Stadium. We have the actual phone, complete with its original phone number Ibrox 1858, which Scot Symon used to use." The Blue Room, with its murals of Rangers managers, chairmen and captains on the mosaic walls, is one of the most eye-catching in the stadium and it has also been changed this year to celebrate the club's most memorable matches. Jardine explained: "We have photographs and medals of the most significant games in the club's history through the years. We have the first medal which was ever won by the club in 1879 in the Glasgow Charity Cup and medals from all the European finals we have been involved in. "The club have acquired the medals through auctions. Either that or they were loaned to us or we have just found them in the safe." Former Rangers players have also been happy to donate the Scotland caps they have won for their country so they can take their place alongside the greatest players ever to turn out for the club. Jardine said: "We have the greatest collection of caps in the world. They date from 1892 right to the present day." And if Rangers have their way, there will be many more additions in the years to come. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/displa...rent_league.php Anyone been on the tour since they changed the trohpy room ? Its well worth the £7. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumbria_blue 51 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I did the tour years ago. Can hardly remember it tbh I will make a point of going on it again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitey126 42 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 i did the tour last summer and the trophy room was fantastic. that and the managers office were my favourites Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOLUWDC 1 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I did the Ibrox tour about 4 years ago, far better stadium than Hampden but the museum in Hampden is great Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfc_no1fan 13 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 We need a bigger room, with a better lay out We have so many medals, trophies and other memorabilia, that isnt on show the way it should be. If we had a lay out like Barcelona's, it would be incredible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForeverBlue_Since91 2,895 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I have been on the tour 3 times brilliant. but ive not been since they have changed it when ever it was they changed it. i saw the big zenit pennants they gave us and A few stuff from manchester,but they have changed it so i will be going back for the 4th time pretty soon to check it out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForeverBlue_Since91 2,895 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 We need a bigger room, with a better lay out We have so many medals, trophies and other memorabilia, that isnt on show the way it should be. If we had a lay out like Barcelona's, it would be incredible. ??? ive been on the barce tour but i was 6 so dont remember much of it. but there stadium is much bigger than ours thats why they have more room. our trophy room is brilliant and nice and colourful, Barce's is dead dull looking. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youllneverwinaway 0 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Trophy room is fantastic at Ibrox. Done a few in my time, but Gers is by far the best, and thats firmly with the Blue Specs off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBoyd 355 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 "We have the original of the constitution of the club in 1874. It tells you the rules, tells you what the club will be called, what the strip will be like, and the people who will be involved, Moses McNeil, people like that. I'd love to see that. I saw the tour at Christmas, and again when Jim Hannah took a few of us around the rooms, that was great. He also showed us some vault where things are kept, i wonder whats in there! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForeverBlue_Since91 2,895 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Trophy room is fantastic at Ibrox. Done a few in my time, but Gers is by far the best, and thats firmly with the Blue Specs off. aye same here, Ive done a few aswell. and Ibrox one is the bst they show u alot more stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBoyd 355 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 "We have the original of the constitution of the club in 1874. It tells you the rules, tells you what the club will be called, what the strip will be like, and the people who will be involved, Moses McNeil, people like that. I'd love to see that. I saw the tour at Christmas, and again when Jim Hannah took a few of us around the rooms, that was great. He also showed us some vault where things are kept, i wonder whats in there! An answer to my question http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/largeimage.php?imid=1099935 Sandy Jardine studies a volume from the Ibrox vault I have to see in there one day!! Look at those old books, i bet alot of them are original archival information on games, and that back from 1872 as well! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlegKuznetsov 10,816 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 The article in the opening post just makes me want to go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briton 394 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 "We have the original of the constitution of the club in 1874. It tells you the rules, tells you what the club will be called, what the strip will be like, and the people who will be involved, Moses McNeil, people like that. I'd love to see that. So would I. Be nice if the club put that into the public domain (I'm assuming it isn't). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TannochsideBear 355 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Cramming all our memorabilia into one small room is complete nonsense. I have always spoken in support of a Rangers museum, and this article further proves we have all the material required to make it work. Instead of all the trophies, cups, medals etc being kept inside those glass cabinets, can you imagine each of them in their own small cabinet, with a full story underneath of how we came to have it. Any bear that has been to the Barca museum will know that we could build one twice as big as theirs, given our rich heritage, and tourists to our city would soon know that there is only one must-see museum in a city full of them, and worked properly could not only be something we could be rightly proud of, but actually make money from as well. Sadly, our short-sighted, uncaring management fail us in this department also. They do not believe that a musuem would pay for itself, or that there is demand to see it. And Bain is on record for that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boab 73 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I dare ask, where would we fit a museum tho? Done the tour myself and can't picture in my mind a place. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBoyd 355 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Cramming all our memorabilia into one small room is complete nonsense. I have always spoken in support of a Rangers museum, and this article further proves we have all the material required to make it work. Instead of all the trophies, cups, medals etc being kept inside those glass cabinets, can you imagine each of them in their own small cabinet, with a full story underneath of how we came to have it. Any bear that has been to the Barca museum will know that we could build one twice as big as theirs, given our rich heritage, and tourists to our city would soon know that there is only one must-see museum in a city full of them, and worked properly could not only be something we could be rightly proud of, but actually make money from as well. Sadly, our short-sighted, uncaring management fail us in this department also. They do not believe that a musuem would pay for itself, or that there is demand to see it. And Bain is on record for that. I think the idea is there actually mate, its on hold until they do something with the stadium, Jim Hannah at Rangers told us that one plan ,potentially, was to knock down everything but the main stand, turn the pitch 90 degrees and create a whole new modern stadium around it. The old main stand would then become a museum in itself, im guessing they'd do as you said, put out everything they have and spread it around all the suites upstairs. But until we get out of this recession nothing will come about it. That said, Rangers have got persmission (have bought?) some land around Ibrox, so it'll be interesting to see what happens in the next decade! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBoyd 355 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 For those who haven't ever done the tour. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kplfishtank 4,656 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 ive never done the tour and i never will as i think it will take away the mystical magic of going to ibrox on matchdays sounds stupid i know but its the way ive always thought ive been offered loads of times but always politely declined Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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