Post by Bushman on Mar 18, 2011 23:08:13 GMT
Pre-Season Tours - 1975-1976
Before a ball had been kicked in the 1975-76 Football League Division 1 season, Rangers had been on successful pre-season tours of first Germany and then Spain and I had the pleasure of going on both these tours.
Rangers on the 20th July 1975 trounced the then German Champions and U.E.F.A Cup holders Borussia Munchengladbach 4-1.
The team: Phil Parkes, Dave Clement, Don Shanks, John Hollins, Ian Gillard, Dave Webb, Dave Thomas, Gerry Francis,, Don Masson, Stan Bowles, Don Givens.
Substitutions: Mick Leach for Don Shanks .
Goal Scorers:Bowles 2, Webb 2.
The next game on the tour was a 2-1 win on the 25th July 1975, against Wuppertal F.C.
The team: Phil Parkes, Dave Clement, Ian Gillard, Don Masson, Frank Mclintock, Dave Webb, Don Rogers, Gerry Francis, Don Masson, Stan Bowles, Don Givens.
Substitutions: Dave Thomas for Don Rogers.
Goal Scorers: Clements, Givens.
The final game on the 27th July 1975 was a 6-2 victory against Paderborn F.C.
The team: Phil Parkes, Dave Clement, Ian Gillard, John Hollins, Frank Mclintock, Dave Webb, Don Rogers, Gerry Francis, Don Masson, Stan Bowles, Ron Abbott.
Substitutions: Dave Thomas for Don Rogers, John Beck for Don Masson, Don Givens for Stan Bowles, Mick Leach for Ron Abbott.
Goal Scorers: Bowles, Beck, Francis, Givens, Leach, o.g.
Phil Parkes and the gloves from Wolfgang Kleff
Programme from the Borussia Munchengladbach game
Click the link for the goals from the Borussia Munchengladbach game.
qprreport.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=14999
Moving on to Spain, Rangers played in a four team tournament with Real Sociedad, Benfica & the hosts Athletic Bilbao.
Where as for the German tour a hundred or so had made the trip. For Spain it was just the four of us who had agreed to meet up.
We met in the Springbok had a beer or two and then headed off. After driving south through France for three days we crossed the border into Spain and camped in San Sebastian on the beach and drove into Bilbao for the games.
Tournament Programme
Rangers played on the 8th August 1975. Benfica who were the current Portuguese Champions in the San Mam�s Stadium, Bilbao, Rangers won 4-2 in front of a full house who were behind Rangers all the way, and would play Athletic Bilbao in the final who had beaten Real Sociedad in the other game the day before.
The team: Phil Parkes, Dave Clement, Ian Gillard, John Hollins, Frank Mclintock, Dave Webb, Dave Thomas, Gerry Francis, Don Masson, Stan Bowles, Don Givens.
Goal Scorers: Bowles, Clement, Webb, Hollins.
In the final in front of a full house 9th August 1975 .Rangers lost 3-0 to a strong Athletic Bilbao side. Rangers played well but faltered towards the end of the match trying to chase the game after going down to an early goal in the first half, and were caught on the counter attack twice in the second half.
The team: Phil Parkes, Dave Clement, Ian Gillard, John Hollins, Frank Mclintock, Dave Webb, Dave Thomas, Gerry Francis, Don Masson, Stan Bowles, Don Givens.
At the end of the game Rangers were given a standing ovation from the capacity crowd. On the way back to San Sebastian that night all four of us knew we were in for a special season and it was.