The Pursuit of History

In the summer of 1992, one Rangers fan wrote to a club fanzine. He wanted to note his disappointment in the club's European performance but that, at least, he could count on constant domestic success. 'Roll on ten in a row'. That road appeared to be clear, with challengers only theoretical and their great rival nearing collapse. Add in the signing of two of the greatest players to ever play for the club and these truly were the best of times. 1992 also saw Rangers help give birth to a new age in European football, with UEFA formally adopting their proposals for the new Champions League. Stability at home and exciting possibilities abroad. What could go wrong? In reality, football's 'Big Bang' was more explosive than anyone imagined, with the game modernising at a frightening pace and bigger television markets and UEFA's limitation on foreign players placing a ceiling on ambition. Rangers in the 1990s were in sync with the nation's culture: an intoxicating, hedonistic swagger but one that was complacent too. Just as football was looking to the future, Rangers were diverted on a road back to the past.