Season 1977-78 by Alistair Aird Jock Wallace was a man under pressure in the summer of 1977. Although he had stopped 10-in-a-row and led Rangers to a domestic Treble, his stock was on the wane after a dire season in 1976/77. The margin for error in the opening weeks of season 1977/78 was paper thin. Wallace dipped into the transfer market to bolster the ranks. Arriving from Shettleston Juniors was a midfield maestro called Bobby Russell, while Gordon Smith was brought in from Kilmarnock. And £100,000 was splashed out to bring one David Cooper to Ibrox. Cooper had mesmerised and hypnotised Rangers in the marathon League Cup tie with Clydebank. Those performances earmarked him for a move, and Wallace recruited one of the finest wingers ever to grace the pitch at the stadium. But it can take time – a scarce commodity when Rangers are struggling – for new players to integrate into a new squad. That may well explain why Wallace’s side lost their first two league games, 3-1 against Aberdeen at Pittodrie and 2-0 at home to Hibernian. But when they trailed 2-0 at half time in the season’s first Old Firm match a few weeks later, you could hear the knives being sharpened. A 4-0 win at Firhill had got some points on the board, but Rangers took to the field against Celtic with skipper John Greig listed as one of the two substitutes. Greig had missed out on the early action due to suspension and he watched as his team shipped two goals inside the opening 31 minutes. Both were scored by the Icelander, Johannes Edvaldsson, and assisted by Tommy Burns. Following a rollocking at half-time from Wallace, alterations were made in personnel and tactics. Derek Parlane, who had fractured his cheekbone, was replaced by Greig. This meant that Derek Johnstone moved from back to front to fill in for Parlane, while Greig joined Jardine, Miller, and Forsyth in the back four. And the changes bore fruit almost immediately. Within eight minutes of the restart, Gordon Smith had reduced the arrears, and after 65 minutes, Johnstone scored the equaliser. And Smith sealed the victory when he found the net after Peter Latchford had flailed and flapped at a cross from Bobby Russell. Imbued with confidence, Rangers were unbeaten in the 13 league matches they played after the Old Firm triumph. Between 17 September and 17 December, they won 10 and drew three of their Premier Division fixtures which ensured that they led the table by five points. In second place were Aberdeen who had played a game more and been beaten convincingly at Ibrox in the league and League Cup in October. The 6-1 win in the latter competition witnessed one of Rangers’ best performances of the season too. ‘Dons caught in Rangers Tornado’ was the headline in the Glasgow Herald on the day after the game. And Jim Reynolds wrote that ‘Rangers ran riot, teasing, tormenting, and finally hammering the Pittodrie side to their first domestic defeat of the season.’ The scoring was started after only three minutes - Gordon Smith netting with a header – and before Rangers struck again after 31 minutes, Tommy McLean shot against the crossbar, while Sandy Jardine had an effort cleared off the line by Drew Jarvie. Derek Johnstone made it 2-0, and two goals in the final minute of the opening 45 – Smith and Miller (penalty) were the scorers – meant the game was effectively over as a contest at the interval. In the second half, Smith completed his hat trick after 73 minutes, and five minutes after Duncan Davidson had netted a consolation goal for the visitors, Alex MacDonald completed the scoring when he scored Rangers’ sixth goal. Rangers would face Aberdeen on another five occasions in season 1977/78 after that emphatic win. Remarkably, they lost three of those five matches, one of which came at Pittodrie on Christmas Eve. Wallace’s side seemed to be rampaging towards the title. A win in the Granite City would have taken them seven points clear of their hosts with a game in hand. But goals from Gibson, Robb, Harper and Jarvie ensured that Rangers’ record of never having won at Pittodrie since the inception of the Premier Division in 1975 was extended, a run that now amounted to two draws and four defeats. But the 4-0 defeat looked like only being a minor blip. A 0-0 draw at home to Hibernian followed, but thereafter, Rangers won their next six league games. Included in that run was a 3-1 win over Celtic at Ibrox and an epic 5-3 win over Motherwell at Fir Park. In the latter match, the home side shot into a 2-0 lead before the half-hour, but goals from Johnstone and Smith ensured it was 2-2 at the break. Cooper gave Rangers the lead three minutes after the restart, and a second goal of the game from Johnstone and an own goal from Willie McVie had Rangers cruising to victory. Vic Davidson did reduce the arrears to two after 67 minutes, but this was a vital win for the Light Blues. Aberdeen were still in pursuit of the leaders, though, and a 3-0 win at Ibrox on 4 March slashed the gap at the top to four points. And when Rangers won only one of the next four league matches that followed, the Dons topped the table on goal difference. It was neck-and-neck. Rangers had six games to play, Aberdeen five. Rangers won four and drew one of their next five fixtures, a run which included their game in hand, a 1-0 win over Dundee United at Tannadice. That narrow win meant Rangers moved a point clear of an Aberdeen side that hadn’t lost in the league since 17 December. And while the Dons drew 1-1 at Easter Road on the final day, Rangers defeated Motherwell 2-0 at Ibrox to clinch the title by two points. Perennial challengers Celtic finished fifth, 19 points adrift. They won only four of their 18 away league matches, losing 11 of the other 14. Celtic’s challenge had also been seen off to secure the League Cup, but only after Rangers got an almighty fright against Forfar Athletic in the last four. With Archie Knox as their player-manager, Forfar led 2-1 with seven minutes remaining at Hampden. But a late header from Derek Parlane forced extra time, and therein, Rangers scored three times to progress to the Final. In the showpiece match, Davie Cooper’s goal after 39 minutes looked like winning the trophy for Rangers, but Johannes Edvaldsson equalised with five minutes remaining. And the match looked to be heading for a midweek replay until Gordon Smith flung himself headlong at the ball when it broke to him in the box with only two minutes left in extra time. His header found the net, the goal being one of 27 Smith would score over the course of his debut season at Ibrox. All that remained now was to add the Scottish Cup to the trophy cabinet to complete a fourth domestic Treble. Berwick Rangers, Stirling Albion, Kilmarnock, and Dundee United were swatted aside on the road to Hampden. And goals from Alex MacDonald and Derek Johnstone secured a 2-1 victory over Aberdeen to complete a clean sweep. Although European football had been disappointing – after despatching BSC Young Boys in the preliminary round of the Cup Winners’ Cup, Rangers were comprehensively beaten 3-0 on aggregate by FC Twente Enschede – Rangers were dominant domestically. There was a feeling that if Jock Wallace was given the opportunity to build from a position of strength, then Rangers may well have been set to reign supreme for years to come. Twas not the case unfortunately! Season 1977/78 also brought the curtain down on the stellar playing career of John Greig. Awarded a testimonial against a Scotland XI in April, Greig had proved to be a colossal figure since he had made his first team debut back in September 1961 against Airdrie in the League Cup. Back then he was an inside forward, and on 1 September 1962, he scored a hat trick against St Mirren. That goal haul played a part in ensuring that Greig is one of 18 post-war goalscoring centurions for Rangers, but it was as a resolute and redoubtable defender that he made his name. Including matches considered ‘non-competitive’, John Greig made 859 appearances for Rangers. He won five league titles, six Scottish Cups, and four League Cups. He remains the only captain in the club’s history to have lifted a major European trophy too.
