Going For 10 In A Row!

[Syze]

In 1997 Walter Smith led Rangers to their ninth consecutive Scottish Premier League title. This equalled Celtic's previous record of nine in a row. However, the elusive tenth title was not be as Wim Jansen's Celtic stopped their arch rivals from claiming the title in 1998. Now we go back in time. It's the summer of 1991. Ranger's manager Graeme Souness had won two titles in a row. With Rangers locked in a neck and neck title battle with Aberdeen in the 1990-1991 season, Souness shocks the footballing world by leaving for Liverpool with just four league games remaining. Souness assistant, Walter Smith, steps in and guides Rangers to a third consecutive title, courtesy of a a last day 2-0 win over Aberdeen, a game in which the Dons needed only a point to claim the title. However, Smith was unable to agree terms to stay on at Ibrox. Now I step in. I'm going for four in a row and, ultimately, ten. I'd also like to build a team that can finally deliver the European Cup to the Ibrox faithful.

Here's a quick look at how my squad and those of my rivals look:

 

[Syze]

JULY 1991:

Pre-season. I already have my formation in mind, it's a simple 4-4-2 with a classic big man-little man front two. I'd say with everyone fit my best team looks like this:

Goram

Stevens     Gough     Kuznetzov     D Robertson

Michailichenko     Durrant     McCall     Huistra

McCoist     Hateley

Here's the squad I have to work with:

In terms of goalkeepers I'd say I have the best in the division in Andy Goram. Young Colin Scott is my only backup.

At the centre of defence I have my captain Richard Gough and Oleh Kuznetzov. I also have my vice-captain John Brown (who is my utility player), Scott Nisbet and John McGregor. I also have youngsters Brian Reid and Steven Pressley. At right back I only really have Gary Stevens. Brown can slot in and youngster Neil Murray can play there too. At left back I have two good options in David Robertson and Chris Vinnicombe.

In the centre of midfield, Stuart McCall is really the only DM I have. Ian Durrant and Ian Ferguson provide two very good box to box midfield options. Nigel Spackman and young Sandy Robertson give me decent depth. On the left wing I have Peter Huistra, and on the right I have Dale Gordon. Alexei Michailichenko can play either side, as well as central.

Up front Mark Hateley is my only real target man and is pretty much a guaranteed starter. I'm leaning towards Ally McCoist as his partner in a poacher role, but former Celtic man Mo Johnston is also a great option to have. Experienced Davie Dodds is strictly backup, while John Spencer, Gary McSwegan and John Morrow are promising young prospects.

Onto our pre-season matches:

Great start to my Rangers career, conceding a goal after 22 seconds. We looked to be in for a tanking but I was pleased at how we pulled ourselves back into the game and made it a contest.

I'm not happy with pre-season. We picked up far too many injuries, especially in defence:

That's Dale Gordon off the table for most of the season. I have no left-back to start the season, and although both my LBs are back in training they're going to be well short of match fitness. Captain Richard Gough is also a big loss. We'll be starting the season with a makeshift defence. Another problem is, quite a few players are not completely match fit. I don't understand, I gave everyone good minutes between first team and reserve fixtures, and did my usual fitness training which normally works for me every time.

Here's our first month:

Packed schedule. Obviously the standout fixture is the first Old Firm Derby of the season. Here's our pre-season highlights:

 

[Syze]

AUGUST 1991:

The big kick off:

John Brown started at left-back with both David Robertson and Chris Vinnicombe not fit enough to play yet. John McGregor started at centre back, although he wasn't fully match fit either. A solid 2-0 win is a good start. Unfortunately, Andy Goram picked up a neck strain, but was thankfully able to see out the match. Alexei Michailichenko suffered a wrist injury but he should be able to play through it. Celtic and Aberdeen are also off to winning starts.

Young Colin Scott had to start in goal. This was a good win against tough opposition. Celtic recorded a big win over Aberdeen.

Highly disappointing. We seemed to get complacent. Funnily enough, after we went down to ten men, that seemed to spark us into life as we stepped it up a gear in search of a winner. David Robertson returned at left back, while John Brown moved into the centre, while John McGregor dropped to the bench. Michailichenko wasn't fully fit so I gave Mo Johnston a run on the right.

A good win, although having taken an early 2-0 lead it was slightly disappointing that we didn't press on. Peter Huistra scored an absolute peach. Nigel Spackman came in for the suspended Stuart McCall, while Chris Vinnicombe made the bench for the first time this season. Andy Goram returned, but only because Colin Scott picked up an injury. Ideally Goram would have gotten another reserve game under his belt.

Very disappointing. We dominated the first half and so I told the team to keep playing the way they were, but they never came out for the second half at all. McCall and Michailichenko returned, while Ian Durrant missed out through injury. Kuznetzov was also injured. He was replaced by John McGregor.

Not a bad point, they were the better team. Of course, it's disappointing not to win when you take the lead. It took a stunning free kick for them to breach our defence which is pleasing.

 Not good enough. That's three without a win. Kuznetzov returned as McGregor dropped out. Durrant also returned for the suspended McCall. Here's how the table looks:

Not a great month but not a disaster. I had certainly hoped for better. Here's our fixtures for September:

We kick off our European Cup campaign against Armenian minnows Shirak. Our League Cup campaign also gets under way. We have a tough trip to Pittodrie to contend with as well. Celtic's Liam Brady claimed the Manager of the Month award, Aberdeen striker Hans Gilhaus picked up the Player award with 6 goals in 7 games, while Dunfermline's Jackie McNamara claimed the Young Player award. Goal of the Month was scored by St. Mirren's Barry Lavety:

Dale Gordon is our only long term injury worry, with Richard Gough back in training. Here's the highlights for August:

 

[Syze]

SEPTEMBER 1991:

After an International break it's into Europe:

Great start. The first half wasn't good enough, but a few home truths at half-time had the desired effect.

This was a great result. We rode our luck at times but we held out for a big three points. Richard Gough is back.

Celtic scraped a win.

Another win for Celtic.

A great performance.

Just a workout really. I was able to rest players and give some fringe players a runout.

Substitute Mo Johnston bagged us the points with his first goals of the season.

All according to plan. Another brace for Johnston who is giving me a selection headache.

A perfect month. St. Johnstone are the surprise package. Aberdeen are having a bad season. Manager of the Month went to St. Johnstone's Alex Totten, Player went to St. Johnstone striker Steve Maskey, and Young Player went to Andy McLaren of Dundee Utd. Goal of the Month also went to McLaren for this:

Here's October's fixtures:

A very tough draw in the European Cup - the champions of Italy, Sampdoria. We also have our first home Old Firm of the season. Will St. Johnstone still be riding high when they come to Ibrox on the 24th? Here's the highlights for September:

 

[Syze]

OCTOBER 1991:

Great performance spoiled only slightly by losing our clean sheet at the end.

Absolutely brilliant. Couldn't ask for more, just perfect.

Goals from all three of my forwards. Fitting three into two is tough. Nice problem to have though.

This was a tough match to approach - do we stick or twist? I decided to go with a counter style. There was no point in going for goals and getting caught, but I didn't want to just invite pressure because I knew we could hurt them with our attackers. Worked perfectly.

Frustrating. St. Johnstone were still in second place going into this match. It was incredibly frustrating to finally take the lead in a hard fought match and surrender the lead immediately.

Lovely.

Not good against the bottom placed team, should have won at a canter. All in all a good month though.

It's developing into a two horse race between the Old Firm. I won the Manager of the Month award, Celtic's Joe Miller picked up the Player of the Month award, while David Elliott of St. Mirren was the Young Player. Ian Durrant scored the Goal of the Month against Dunfermline. Here's our fixtures for November:

Galatasaray in the third round of the European Cup. Here's the highlights for October:

 

[Syze]

NOVEMBER 1991:

Bad for Celtic, good for us.

Hard earned, had to hold on, but a good three points.

One of those days. We created a lot of chances and hit the woodwork multiple times. I couldn't be harsh on the players afterwards, we just need to move on.

I'd rather play the away leg first. I wasn't sure how to approach this. I didn't want to go hung ho and concede away goals, so I was a little cautious. I maybe should have been more proactive from the outset. Again, we hit the woodwork a few times.

I ran the full gamut of emotions in this one. Early on we were phenomenal, but we nearly threw it away. Thanks to wee Mo for killing the game off. Ian Durrant fractured his wrist but should be fine with protective gear.

We gave it our all. Once we went down to ten men we were facing an impossible task, but we kept plugging away and were unlucky. Stuart McCall is making a habit of getting sent off, so I had to fine him this time. He wasn't happy but he has no room for complaint in my book.

Solid win. Richard Gough seems to be lacking the stamina to play two games in a week.

We're sitting very pretty in the table. Jim McLean of Dundee Utd won the Manager of the Month award, Tommy Turner of St. Johnstone picked up the Player, while Andy McLaren of Dundee Utd claimed the Young Player prize. Goal of the Month was scored by Airdrie's Owen Coyle:

Here's our fixtures for December:

Our League Cup tie with Brechin was postponed due to international call ups. Here's the highlights from November:

 

[Syze]

DECEMBER 1991:

Celtic are coming on strong.

This was a good chance to give some fringe players a runout. We're at home to Aberdeen in the quarter finals.

Bad day for us, good for Celtic. Celtic go top by a point, but we have a game in hand.

That's better.

Another good win, but Celtic just keep grinding them out.

McCoist is on fire. We're away to Falkirk in the semis, while Celtic were surprisingly knocked out by Morton.

A hat-trick for Super Ally. John Spencer is another great attacking option, I want to try and involve him more, but I'm spoilt for choice. If things remain as tight as they are, goal difference could prove a major factor so wins like this are very welcome.

Our game in hand sees the sees us provide the perfect present for the Ibrox faithful as we move back to the top of the league for Christmas Day. This was played in very heavy snow and -9 degrees C. There was a rare goal for Gary Stevens, a thumping header.

Damn it. That's three games against St. Johnstone and only two points. To make matters worse Celtic scraped a win which means the table looks like this as 1991 draws to a close:

No doubt it's a two horse race, and shaping up to be an exciting one at that. Liam Brady claimed Manager of the Month, our own Gary Stevens was Player of the Month following some outstanding performances, while Young Player went to St. Johnstone's Irish midfielder, Liam Dunne. Celtic's Tony Mowbray scored the Goal of the Month:

So into the new year we go, and January looks like this for us:

I'm expecting to have another six points on the board and a place in the Scottish Cup third round by the time we travel to Parkhead on the 16th. Here's the highlights for December:

 

[Syze]

JANUARY 1992:

Happy new year! The happiest part for me is the return of Dale Gordon.

Two points dropped for The Bhoys.

I gave Gordon a good run out. Huistra scored a peach of a free kick.

The treble is still on. John Spencer is giving me a real problem, he's a fine striker at this level but I simply have great options. I gave a start to young Steven Pressley at centre-back.

Grrr. I can't deny them a point TBH, they were the better team. We should've been 2-0 up at half-time though, even though they ran us ragged.

A very fortunate three points. Hibs played extremely well, especially considering they played most of the match with ten men. I can't sympathise though, I'm delighted we got the winner! Once again, John Spencer is pushing himself to the forefront of my mind. Even better, Celtic lost at Hearts.

A very tough match and another late winner. More than just late, it was literally last gasp. We're into the final against the team we have been unable to beat so far, St. Johnstone.

A great month for us, we're pulling away. Motherwell's Tommy McLean picked up the Manager of the Month award, our own Peter Huistra picked up the Player award, while Young Player went to Aberdeen striker, Scott Booth. Goal of the Month was scored by Hearts Scott Crabbe in the Edinburgh derby:

Our February looks like this:

Can we claim part one of the treble? Here's the highlights for January:

 

[Syze]

FEBRUARY 1992:

Great result for Celtic.

Hard fought. McCoist is out with a head injury, but will be back soon. Michailichenko scored a great goal.

The treble is still on.

Another hard fought win. This was a tougher month than we have been used to, we aren't dominating games in the same way.

Bad day. We didn't deserve anything. To make matters worse, Celtic won.

Another hard fought win. We're grinding it out while Celtic are flying.

A more convincing win. Nigel Spackman started in place of the suspended Stuart McCall.

Celtic win again.

Part one of the treble is complete. It wasn't as easy as I would have liked, but we did it, and we beat St. Johnstone at the fourth time of asking.

We're still sitting pretty with a six point cushion and a vastly superior goal difference. Liam Brady picked up the Manager of the Month award, Player went to Celtic's Dariusz Wdowczyk, while Young Player was awarded to drunken Duncan. Goal of the Month was scored by Falkirk's Brian Rice:

 

Here's our March fixtures:

Nowhere near as hectic as it has been. Here's the highlights for February:

 

[Syze]

MARCH 1992:

Well, that's not the start to the month we wanted. The gap is down to three points.

No upsets here.

Celtic dropped the ball, but we didn't.

Dale Gordon is like a new signing.

Still looking good. Manager of the Month went to Don Mackay of Hearts, Player went to our own Dale Gordon, and Young Player went to St. Mirren's Barry Lavety. The Goal of the Month was scored by Hibernian's Pat McGinlay:

I should note the managerial changes that have occurred thus far. Dunfermline sacked Jocky Scott and replaced him with my predecessor, Walter Smith. St. Mirren sacked David Hay back in December and still haven't replaced him. Gordon Smith remains the interim manager. Hearts sacked Joe Jordan and replaced him with Don Makay, while Jordan has taken over at Airdrie following the sacking of Alex McDonald. Here's our fixtures for April:

This is the pivotal month of the season. Here's the highlights for March:

 

[Syze]

APRIL 1992:

Another hurdle overcome.

Oh ****. I had a feeling it was going to go like this after about 30 minutes of battering them and getting no reward.

Great reaction. Unfortunately Celtic scraped a win at Airdrie.

This was a big win. It was nervy until we sealed the win late on.

Celtic are matching us stride for stride. We can't afford any slip ups.

Lucky. Aberdeen beat Celtic in the other semi-final match, so there will be no more Old Firm matches this season.

A performance worthy of champions. No nerves, all business. Celtic won too though. I rested an exhausted Mark Hateley.

So there you have it. It's too close for comfort. However, we're in the driving seat. We have three games - three wins and we will have completed the treble. Airdie are down. Falkirk look the most likely to join them. Liam Bardy, of course, won the Manager of the Month award. Super Ally, who really stepped up to the plate this month, claimed the Player of the Month Prize. Young Player went to Aberdeen's Eoin Jess. The Goal of the Month was scored by Dunfermline's Norman Kelly:

Here's our remaining fixtures:

Here's Celtic's fixtures:

We both face teams fighting for their Premier League lives in our penultimate games. No doubt they have the easier final game. Here's the highlights for March:

 

[kidthekid]

Interesting idea for a save, how were you able to get the database for 1991?