First Step To The Treble - Ten Years Ago This Weekend

[Senna 735]

Ten years ago this weekend, Rangers lifted their first trophy of the season – the then-CIS League Cup. A gorgeous day at Hampden saw the mighty Gers run out 2-1 winners after a tense last half hour when Henrik Larsson pulled a goal back for Sporting Integrity FC.

More remarkably, it was a sign of things to come for both teams. Rangers went on to complete arguably the most dramatic treble of our world-record seven, while Celtic went on to win, erm, let me think. *digs around for anything* Oh yes! They won the award for finding the most broken calculator in Europe.

I can't speak for the majority of Rangers fans, but that day seems like an awful long time ago. The game itself was actually a bit of a classic, with both teams having plenty of chances to do some damage to the other. After a bit of a sluggish start, Rangers started to build up a fluidity and a momentum that stood them in good stead throughout the match.

The lineup itself had a bit of a surprise inclusion – with Arthur Numan out injured, Frenchman Jerome Bonnissel came into the team for one of only a handful of appearances for the club.

On the 14^th minute, a move involving the Frenchman saw Rangers spring forward down the left channel, Peter Lovenkrands chipping an onrushing Rab Douglas, with only a Joos Valgaeren clearance preventing a certain goal.

There were plenty of dirty challenges in the match, and forgive the bias, but most of them coming from Neil Lennon, Alan Thompson and Bobo Balde of Celtic.

Bonnissel was again the starting point for another move, this one that saw Rangers take the lead. Sliding an intercepted ball out of defence, Rangers worked it up the pitch and side to side and into the Celtic box after a great pass from Ronald de Boer.

Lovenkrands shot was saved by Douglas, the rebound evading the outstretched legs of Michael Mols and Valgaeren, falling to the majestic Argentine Claudio Caniggia who slid it past a despairing Balde on the line and into the net to give Rangers a newly-deserved lead.

A spat of dirty challenges marred the next 10 minutes or so of the game, until once again, Bonnissel found Michael Mols in space, who slid a beautiful reverse pass into the flying Lovenkrands who smashed it past ex-brickie Rab Douglas to make it 2-0 to Rangers on 35 minutes.

The remainder of the first half continued in the same vein, with Rangers dominating Celtic and Bobo Balde lucky to remain on the pitch after a couple of off-the-ball incidents on Michael Mols.

Celtic started the second half in domineering fashion, equalising with a bulleted header from Larsson, that Klos could get in the way of, but not keep out.

Shortly afterward, Celtic should have been level. A John Hartson goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside, however that decision was right up with the standard of refereeing of the day, with Balde somehow still on the pitch.

The game petered towards the final whistle with a succession of half chances for both teams, and social pariah Neil Lennon seeing red for two bookable offences, the first of which could have been a straight red. Arguably, the second – a head-high double arm block on substitute Shota Arveladze – could have been a red on a different day.

Amazingly, the most dramatic moment of the match was yet to come. The behemoth that is Bobo Balde was somehow floored by Lorenzo Amoruso's shadow in the box, giving Celtic a last minute, if ill-earned, penalty. John Hartson stepped up, composed himself, then smashed the ball completely off target to the jubilation of the Rangers fans. A sense of justice for the penalty incident, perhaps.

A lot has passed in the decade since then. Rangers have won three in a row, reached a European final, became the first Scottish team to reach both the last 16 of the Champions League and qualify from the group stages of the Europa League, clinched the most dramatic title win ever and fallen into the doldrums of Scottish football thanks to the action of one man.

Now, a lot of those are memories and not really relevant to Rangers this season. Except perhaps for the fact that in that final, Celtic lost. This still rankles with them, as does everything that goes agin them, and EBTs are still being screeched about in the east end of Glasgow, albeit in ever-more diminishing volume.

EBTs and the whole farrago around them, we were told, was 'second only to match-fixing'. Is that right? Probably most of those Rangers players on the pitch that day had use of an EBT, and all perfectly legal.

Those tax avoidance schemes were not the reason we won that day. Better play, more decisive finishing, a better defence, more grit and determination were the reason we won yet another trophy and Celtic yet again, went home empty handed.

Lord Nimmo Smith and his colleagues on the SPL-appointed commission found that we had gained, and I quote, “no sporting advantage” through fielding these completely eligible players. But hey Celtic fans, you know the law better than three fully qualified figures of the legal establishment, no?

If you really want someone to blame, Celtic fans, look at John Hartson. Had he not missed that penalty, it'd have went into extra time at least. Don't look at the referee – I know it's hard – you were robbed of a legitimate goal, however you had a man on the pitch who should have been off, who won a penalty that never should have been given.

If that still isn't enough, do you honestly believe you'd have come back from being two goals and a man down at half time? Balde, by my reckoning, had made three bookable fouls by half time and somehow didn't even pick up a booking.

But hey, it's just easier to blame EBTs and 'ra h*ns', rather than accept you were second best, no?

[The Godfather 71,870]

Remember that game like it was yesterday.

10 years eh?

Jesus!

[Fiogh 178]

Some very good technical footballers in that Rangers team, absolutely loved wee Claudio!

[Columbo 588]

To get 97 points, over 100 goals and win both cup competitions as well was a fantastic achievement.

My favorite ever season as a Rangers fan, the most entertaining we have been in my entire lifetime with the possible exception of the 1999-2000 season

[G.E.C. 18,751]

Big Amo's celebration after Hartson missed that penalty is legendary.

[G.E.C. 18,751]

Jonathan Pearce was a nutcase when Channel 5 employed him. Robot Wars is a fine example.

[Columbo 588]

Without doubt, our European run was dreadful when you look at the squad that year.

That season and the 04-05 were excellent as a fan and full of entertainment.

Don't think we will ever see a squad with so much talent at Ibrox again, unless we switch leagues.

We might not have won the league and therefore the treble had it not been for us bombing the Uefa Cup that year though.

Just a pity we never built on that success going into 03-04

[TheBluebells 6,898]

Big Amo's celebration after Hartson missed that penalty is legendary.

Right in that fat wanks face