Written by Alistair Aird Between 1966 and 1974, Celtic won nine successive Scottish League titles. This was a feat that had been unmatched in Scotland. But having won six in a row, Walter Smith’s Rangers were now within touching distance of emulating that feat. They began their attempt to win an eighth title in nine years with two new faces in the team photo. Basile Boli, who had been part of the Marseille side that Rangers faced in the Champions League in season 1992/93, arrived to bolster the defence while Brian Laudrup apparently turned down Barcelona to add some creativity and guile to the attack. Of the two, Boli was considered the blue-chip signing. But he would only have one season as a Rangers player. He simply couldn’t adapt to Scottish football and was openly critical of Walter Smith after an early season exit from the Champions League. He joined Monaco at the end of the season. Laudrup’s first masterclass came on the opening day of the season. A goal from Hateley had been cancelled out by a Tommy Coyne penalty kick early in the second half. The teams were still tied at 1-1 as the match entered its final minutes, and that was when Laudrup stepped in. That winning goal could have been a launchpad for Ferguson. After a first season at Rangers that was blighted by injury and controversy, maybe now he could show all and sundry why Smith had seen fit to sanction a £4,000,000 move for him. Alas, it wasn’t to be. Four days later, Ferguson scored a hat trick as Rangers opened their League Cup campaign with a thumping 6-1 win over Arbroath at Gayfield. But those goals would be the last of the five he would score for the Rangers first team. The last of his 26 appearances for Rangers came on 11 September against Hearts at Ibrox. Ferguson would join Everton on loan for three months the following month and the move was made permanent when Joe Royle took over from Mike Walker in the Goodison Park hotseat before the end of the year. Three of Ferguson’s Rangers appearances – two as sub, one in the starting XI – came in a cataclysmic week at the end of August. Rangers contrived to lose THREE times at Ibrox inside seven days. Firstly, AEK Athens, 2-0 up from the first leg in Greece, put the tie to bed with a 1-0 win to consign Smith’s side to a first hurdle exit from the Champions League for the second successive season. Celtic then won 2-0 in the league and the terrible trio was completed when Falkirk eliminated Rangers from the League Cup. Laudrup scored his first Rangers goal, but that was sandwiched by a double from Richard Cadete. Rangers were supposedly in turmoil, but what was perceived to be a crisis galvanised Smith’s squad. Wounds were licked and lessons were learned. Defeats against Hibernian at Easter Road and Motherwell at Fir Park were the only losses in the league between 11 September and 12 February. In that run of 21 matches, Rangers won 13. Incidentally, Rangers wore their lilac third kit in the 2-1 defeat at Fir Park. It had had it’s first outing pre-season when Rangers contrived to surrender a 2-0 lead to lose 4-2 against Sampdoria in The Ibrox International Tournament. It was only seen once after the loss to Motherwell. The Rangers side wore it against a Rangers International Select in a testimonial match for Scott Nisbet. At least on this occasion, Rangers won, a goal from Ally McCoist eking out a 3-2 win. The highlight in that unbeaten sequence was a comprehensive 3-1 win over Celtic in late October. With Parkhead in the throes of reconstruction, the match was played at Hampden. Charlie Miller, aged 18, was superb. Hateley scored twice and Laudrup sealed the win by running half the length of the pitch before rounding Gordon Marshall and finding the net. Alan McLaren, signed from Hearts in a move that saw Dave McPherson journey east along the M8 for a second time, made his debut. During that run was a Friday night win over Aberdeen at Ibrox. Ally McCoist scored the only goal of the game. McCoist was still striving for full fitness and he would start only four league matches. In total, he made 15 first XI appearances over the course of the season, but six of them came in friendly matches. The goal against the Dons was supplemented by a treble against Huntly in November in a match that inaugurated the floodlights at Christie Park. There was a goal in a testimonial match for Scott Nisbet for the man with the golden touch too. A 2-0 defeat at Pittodrie ended the unbeaten run in the league, and eight days later, Hearts knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup. Former Ranger Colin Miller scored one of the Hearts goals in a 4-2 win at Tynecastle. Those results would form part of an erratic spell of form. Rangers contested eight matches between 4 February and 18 March. They would win only two of those fixtures, a 3-1 win over Hamilton Accies in the Scottish Cup at Firhill and a 3-0 win over Kilmarnock in the league at Ibrox. But that would just be a blip. Four straight league wins followed a league defeat at Tynecastle on 18 March, and in among them was a 3-1 win over Hibernian at Ibrox that sealed the title. Ian Durrant, who had had a month on loan at Everton and looked to be on his way out of Ibrox, scored one of the goals. Despite dropping points in 16 of their 36 league matches, Rangers ended the season 15 points better off than runners-up, Motherwell. When one considers they drew one and lost two of their last three league games, it showed how far ahead of the chasing pack Smith’s side were. Celtic finished fourth, 18 points adrift of their Old Firm rivals. At the other end of the table, Dundee United were relegated. Aberdeen, who had finished second in all but one of the previous six campaigns, only preserved their Premier Division status by defeating Dunfermline Athletic in a play-off. Although the league trophy was the only silverware that made its way into the Ibrox Trophy Room, the Rangers supporters were more than satisfied. Cups and European runs were now firmly in the ‘bonus’ category. All the eggs were now placed firmly in the ‘nine-in-a-row’ basket. It was very much a case of ‘seven down, two to go.’
In contrast, Laudrup would be a revelation. Given licence to roam by Smith, the Great Dane revelled in the freedom that gave him. He led defences a merry dance throughout the campaign, prizing them open with ease to either create a goal for others or score one himself. A series of stellar displays and 13 goals in 38 appearances saw him recognised at the end of season awards as Laudrup was crowned Player of the Year by both his fellow professionals and the Scottish Football Writers Association.
Motherwell forced a corner kick but it was cleared towards Laudrup. He was on the Rangers 18-yard line when he received the ball. From there he motored forward, the ball rarely more than a few inches ahead of him. His dribbling run saw him leave several defenders clad in claret and amber in his wake as he travelled into the heart of the Motherwell half. His pass to Duncan Ferguson was perfectly weighted and Ferguson slotted the ball into the far corner.
