The Huns Were Looking To Win 10 League Titles In A Row

[Ke1t]

LULZ

 

Rangers 0 Kilmarnock 1

(SPL Match No.35 May 2nd 1998 - Ibrox)

 

THEY say that all political careers end in failure. Football is just as harsh a trade. Rangers have been on the verge of disappointment for months, but it must have been excruciating for Walter Smith that they should tumble into desolation in the final seconds of his last game at Ibrox. As his team hurled more and more players into strenuous and clumsy attempts on goal, Rangers were left vulnerable.

 

Pat Nevin found John Henry and his low cross from the right was squeezed past Antti Niemi by Ally Mitchell, the substitute, to give Kilmarnock victory. In that moment, it became virtually inevitable that the League championship trophy will be taking its leave of Ibrox at the same time as Smith and many celebrated players.

 

This game was supposed to be the occasion when Rangers rallied, called upon traditional strengths and mounted a challenge to Celtic that would be fired by pride and tradition.

 

Instead, we were to see comprehensive evidence of a team's deterioration. Gordon Marshall, the Kilmarnock goalkeeper, needed to make only one vibrant save, when he dived to his right to flick away Brian Laudrup's drive.

 

 

 

For the most part, Rangers could bring only a lacklustre diligence to their work and the searing pieces of invention on which they have previously depended were totally absent.

 

Laudrup looked eager enough, but hardly ever got beyond the first layer of a composed Kilmarnock defence. After this, Craig Brown must have even more doubts about the wisdom of taking Ally McCoist to the World Cup. The substitute seemed to have all 35 of his years crashing down on his shoulders as he made a ponderous attempt to wheel onto Laudrup's cut-back in the 49th minute. Gus MacPherson blocked.

 

The frustration of Rangers was glaring when they threw Richard Gough forward in the last 20 minutes. That strategy was made to look futile by the orderly work of people such as Jim Lauchlan, a centre-half with an aversion to the crude clearance. His insistence on attempting to pick out a teammate, no matter how desperate the circumstances, was impressive, even if it is likely to stop his manager's heart.

 

With so many veterans at the club, Rangers' dwindling resources have failed to last out a long season. It has been poignant to watch players accustomed to success striving to ensure that happiness endured just a little longer. Rangers had not really expected to be so reliant on the faithful retainers, but the new recruits have been a beleaguered band.

 

Some are injured, others failed to deal with the demands of a club such as Rangers and Marco Negri, so prolific in the first half of the season, now seems to be at odds with Rangers and cannot command even a seat on the substitutes' bench. The bleakness of the situation was only disguised in the spell before kick-off yesterday when the players took the field with several mascots, including Laudrup's children.

 

There was a benign, sunlit tone to the scene. The abrasions of the match, however, soon scoured away that contentment. Kilmarnock were too solid a team to allow Rangers an easy victory. They have not come to the verge of a Uefa Cup place by capitulating and it was soon evident that most of the important corridors had been closed off on the Ibrox pitch.

 

Beside Lauchlan, Ray Montgomerie,(left) the veteran centre-half, was full of spring and tenacity. On the flanks, the full-backs were supplemented by midfielders and ensured that the byline was usually off limits to Rangers. There was much to admire in all departments of the visitors' team, with Nevin operating thoughtfully and the awkward Jerome Vareille waging a lonely war on Rangers' defence.

 

In the first half, the endeavour of both sides produced equilibrium.

 

There was little controversy in yesterday's contest and, for long periods, incident was also in short supply. MacPherson's failure to clear, after 12 minutes, gave Laudrup an opportunity that he drove wide, but the visitors threatened in the 35th minute. Niemi fended away Vareille's attempt and Mark Reilly miscued the rebound.

 

Rangers were forced into increasingly anxious endeavours and the possibilities for Kilmarnock on the counter-attack grew throughout the second half. MacPherson received a luscious chance, after 61 minutes, when Vareille's pass sent him clear, but he betrayed his true identity as a right-back by hesitating fractionally and then hitting a moderate shot from which Niemi made a composed save.

 

Rangers supporters had not expected to observe that sort of sure handling from their team. None the less, this has been a campaign in which the Ibrox fans have gradually discovered that the side is no longer effective enough to be masters of its own fate. Great though the anguish may have been, this result was not the inexplicable freak it would have appeared in seasons gone by.

 

Rangers: Niemi, Cleland, Porrini (Ferguson 70), Gough, Amoruso, Bjorklund (McCoist 45), McCall (Durrant 80), Gattuso, Durie, Albertz, Laudrup.

 

Kilmarnock: Marshall, MacPherson, Kerr, Lauchlan, Montgomerie, Reilly, Nevin, Holt, Roberts (McGowne 85), Vareille (Henry 80), Burke (Mitchell 67).

 

Scorer: Kilmarnock: Mitchell 90

 

Booked: Marshall (81min).

 

Referee: R Tait (East Kilbride).

 

Attendance: 50,116.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1v6ov_Vp3U

[torrysheep82]

[E-P-K]

Rangers: Niemi, Cleland, Porrini (Ferguson 70), Gough, Amoruso, Bjorklund (McCoist 45), McCall (Durrant 80), Gattuso, Durie, Albertz, Laudrup.<br style="color: rgb(28, 40, 55); font-family: verdana, arial, tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 248); ">

Not a bad team compared to today's der hun team

Purchased fraudulently through tax evasion.

Saying that, Larsson and the Noddy Holder lookalike did more than Killie winning.

[OddJob]

Remember my mum picking me up from Todders after our game (think we drew 2-2 with the Jambos) and had the radio on and pissing myself with laughter when Mitchell scored. Hilarious the way the Huns fucked that up

[Jazzer_Bett]

That team was the incarnation of the EBT scam, it started then.

 

I remember thinking how the fuck can they afford these players.

[Stoney]

The game that cost them was when we beat them up here atmosphere was amazing

[fine-n-dandy]

well all a can say is fk t huns

 

small glories

 

in ur time of need

[jasmine57]

The game that cost them was when we beat them up here atmosphere was amazing

 

I seem to remember a minor disagreement with some huns at Auchterarder on the way back from our final game at Motherwell. Not too happy that we'd beaten them!

[BillyStarkDivinHeeder]

The game that cost them was when we beat them up here atmosphere was amazing

 

Aye, Stephen Glass header? That was a great game.

[OddJob]

The game that cost them was when we beat them up here atmosphere was amazing

Well it should have been but the Tims were doing their best to fuck it all up at the end

 

I always remember Jamie Buchan had a great game in that Huns match too