Little under 10 years ago, Rangers lost in Scottish League Two to a Stirling Albion side whose manager missed the game because of his wedding.
Now they are looking forward to a Europa League final in Seville.
If they beat Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday, they will not only claim a first European trophy in 50 years but also secure a place among the top seeds in next season's Champions League group stages.
Rangers supporters have been through that journey - the highs and the lows - and we asked them what they remember from the past decade...
Darren: As low as it was, going down to the Third Division at the time was one of those where it-is-what-it-is. "No one likes us, we don't care" attitude, but we'll be back. For me what probably felt like a pretty big low at the time was not managing to go though each of the lower leagues season after season straight into the Premiership. So getting beaten over 2 legs in the Premiership play-off by Motherwell was a sore one. After that low, the next season getting beaten in the Scottish Cup final by Hibs was another low after such a convincing season. Various cup exits through the years without even making the final also haven't been ideal. The highs throughout the last decade, which there have been a few along the way and have shown gradual progression, started with knocking Celtic out of the Scottish Cup in the semi final. That at the time was a real statement that we thought we were back and able to compete with our Old Firm rivals. The next high for me was when we got our first Old Firm win in the league, 1-0 at Ibrox with a Ryan Jack goal which fittingly went through the legs of Scott Brown on its way to hitting the back of the net. Having went such a long run of not getting an Old Firm win in the league, this seemed to get the monkey off our back and it might just be at this point that there was starting to be a change in the air. After that my next big high was going unbeaten in the league on our way to our 55th title, that in itself just speaks volumes. We were going to be happy to win it by any means but to be invincible was taking it to another level. Then the next high until this point has been reaching the Europa League final which has been an almost unbelievable journey. Considering the resources that we have compared to some of the teams that we have faced and put the to sword has been remarkable from everyone involved at Rangers, from the players right through to the coaching staff and everyone behind the scenes that has made this a reality. I never imagined we would be competing at such a level so soon after the lows which I have mentioned above. Ask me what my biggest high is next week and I hope to have a different answer for you.
Andrew Eddie: Late December 2021, I vividly recall using my previous leave time from working in Singapore to coincide with a "Glasgow Derby", Queens Park v Rangers in the third division, yes third division.! It was a closely contested game with Rangers running out eventual winners due to a late goal by Fraser Aird. Difficult to imagine that today Rangers are in a European final. The progress have been siesmic and I hope it continues.
Ross: That night against red star was fantastic now I am on my way to Seville with my son Grant ! Memories forever
Stephen Leitch: The best part was the sense of calmness and pride that Steven Gerard brought back to the club. Suddenly it was all clear again. Everything was going to be ok with him in charge.
Fiona W: The last 10 years following Rangers can certainly be described as a rollercoaster. So many lows of struggling to beat teams in the lower tier, to the highs of getting back to the Premiership and winning the title in season 20/21. In all honesty it's one of my fondest times, times spent with my Dad and seeing teams we had never seen us play before outwith cup competitions. Sadly my Dad passed away suddenly in early 2020 so missed seeing us return to the top. I know he'd have loved seeing us lift the title and get to a European final, things that seemed light years away when we were in the 3rd division. In summing it up I'll paraphrase a famous writer - "it was the worst of times, it was the best of times"
George Aitken: Was atIbrox at the start of their 3rd division ,adventure' when they played East Stirling( my favourite local 'wee team'), Shire scored first but we went on to win the game and the 3rd division title.I remember that the 40000 + who attended the game was the highest ever third division attendance.The fans stayed so loyal through these very difficult years .So proud of where we have got to and people like like Ally McCoist and Ian Durrant should know how much the fans appreciate the part they played in the resurgence of our club.
David Graham: watching Rangers stay strong and steadfast through the most difficult of times , charlatans just wanting to fleece the club for every last penny ,so many great memories , every club in each division benefited from Rangers journey ,the clubs in the Premier league wanted us out especially Celtic , they missed Rangers so badly as they were playing in a half empty stadium with no real competition all happy to win titles without the Rangers in the league, i have so much pride watching us back to a very competitive level at home and abroad. i really hope we do win the Europa cup especially on our anniversary it would just be perfect end to season.
Angela Cochrane: Getting back to the top flight. getting through the nightmare season's to win the league. then reaching the Europa League final is like waking up from the best dream ever.
Ian Appleby: Here's a cracker that I know you will love Celtic went to Seville in 2003. My cousin Eric (Ed as we call him) was taking his 8 year old son Daniel. I said to Ed bring Daniel into town I've something I want to do for him! Ed duly obliged and I meet them in suchiehall street. Confused looks on their face I take them to the Celtic shop. Their heads are spinning thinking what the fucks a Rangers man taking us here for? I take them up to the attendant and say " get the lad the jersey of his choice" we go up to the counter and I pay for it. My cousin Eric was gob smacked and so was Dan. Today I came home from a 12 hour shift and opened my porch door to see a package. I opened the package and there was a 1972 rangers cup winners cup jersey with a note inside sayin " uncle Ian, congratulations on your team reaching the Europa league final in Seville. Daniel " ps I hope yees get pumped ! Now that's football
John: The highs and lows of a Rangers fan through these troubled times was , for me, encapsulated in the royal infirmary in Glasgow. Throughout the entire confusion and shock of what was happening to my beloved team myself and my father stood abreast to support the fight of the team we loved and cherished. Attending games at ibrox with lower league hosts became the norm. Football at times unworthy of the expectations of the fans that dwelled in the glory years of Souness and smith had now swindled in a distance memory of the glory days echoed in our ears. My fathers health had deteriorated so much that attending matches became not painful to watch but painful on his cancer ridden body; yet, to see his team became his morphine that for 90 minutes. Not always pleasure on the park but pleasure as Rangers plodded forward up the leagues. A stumbling block against Motherwell delayed the master plan, my dads health waited but always as we sat in the cancer wards in Glasgow, playing yesterdays match became the norm, to frail to attend matches but always an eye on what was happening. Stories of rangers of old where spoken and realisation that his love for the club wasn't merely superficial but a way of live. As the leap to premiership security beckoned my dads health and days where now numbered. Sitting around a bed surrounded by family members we nurses my dad. At nine o'clock he started mumbling. It's 9 o'clock. The room gasped as we had though he had taken his last breath. But alas no. John. What's the score. Tears of pain in my eyes. Dad we one tonight. He friend and said we are back. My dad passed away a few weeks later. My family remember that night fondly. For me I remember my dad as a great man. I remember him as a Rangers man. Through controversy and the pain of cancer , his drive was to see Rangers back to their rightful place. In my life I was taught to follow my heart and be a champion. My father believes that Rangers football club would always return to the top due to their forefathers belief that they will always be the best , always rise above , always set the way. He installed that in me as a person, and through the toughest time in the clubs history he believed, on his dying bed , that Rangers football club would one day get to their rightful place. In our darkest hour we as a club unionised as one entity, the power of our fans got us through the darkness and next Wednesday we will shine brightly, just as in the sky my Fad will be shining looking down on an amazing club with a history like no other
Jean-Sebastien: Lows : 2nd behind Hearts in the first attempt in championship, then defeated by Motherwell in a 2 legs play off. But credit to Hearts who deserved to be champion and to Motherwell who belongs to premiership as well. Then Old firm loses by 4 or 5 goals (in premiership or cups before Stevie G), but Celtic where far better at that time. And Progress Niederkorn : nothing to add about it, sometimes silence is better... Highs : defeated Celtic in scottish cup semi final (penalties shootout) when Rangers was a championship side. And the revival with Premiership champion without a single defeat in League under Stevie G. Europa League last 3 editions but this one is a dream with final coming through. In France we use to say : greatest clubs never die ! PS : congratulations to Rangers ladies !
David Thomson: I still remember the exactly where I was and what I was doing the minute I found out we went into administration. Constantly waking up not knowing if we would still have a club was a grim experience. However thankfully when SFL status was confirmed I managed to secure a season ticket and the opening game at Ibrox against East Fife was surreal. Despite navigating through the league the standard of football at the club was pretty poor culminating in losing the Premiership Play Off against Motherwell. The rollercoaster continued with the new found optimism when Warburton led us back to the top flight however the bizarre and disastrous appointment of Caixinha which included embarrassing old firm defeats and that horrible night in Luxembourg brought me back down to earth. The excitement of Gerrards arrival was a pivotal moment in the journey and his gradual rebuild resulting in winning title 55 was a mixture of joy and relief. If someone told me sitting at ibrox that night against East Fife in 2012 that in 10 years we would be in a Europa League Final I would've thought you were crazy! If we can win it then it'll be beyond description and surely worthy of a movie!
Carlyn Campbell: I've been a season ticket holder for nearly 30 years, through thick and thin, and throughout the long journey back from the bottom tier! Brechin in 2012, I was pictured with my son outside the ground that day as we started our journey back. Never did I think on that day beside the hedge we would ever be back at another Euro final in my lifetime. Through all the trials and tribulations, and lets face it there has been many both on and off the pitch, I've been there. My son was only 11 at the Manchester final and not permitted a ticket as the policy then was no midweek Euro tickets to under 16's, but we both have a ticket for Seville and I can't wait to get a picture with him outside that Stadium to put with ours from Brechin as a testimony to our journey.
John Macaskill: I've been a blue nose since the early 70's when I can remember the grainy black and white footage on telly of the famous Barca Bears winning the European Cup Winners Cup Final in 72. And the magnificent Centenary Scottish Cup Final win V Celtic at Hampden the following year. But what has transpired these past few years will likely top the lot Highs would be few and far between on our journey back from the abyss of liquidation. Winning each league title on our way up through the leagues are high points I suppose. Beating Celtic in that Scottish Cup Semi at Hampden when in a league below them was pretty special. However, since arriving back in the top flight there have been dizzying high points. Signing Steven Gerrard as Manager was epic. A masterstroke. A stroke of genius you have to say. This led onto title 55 and our sensational return to the top of Scottish football. An invincible season and a title celebrated like no other. The Europa League runs have been utterly fantastic. Becoming relevant on a European stage has been a particular high point. Then this seasons managerial change to GVB culminating in a European run like never before all the way to the final in Sevilla. Spellbinding stuff. The cherry on top being an opportunity to finally win the Scottish Cup v Hearts on the final day of the season. To think I had said to a colleague at work it would be 20 or more years before Rangers could recover from the dreadful circumstances that relegated then to the bottom tier and a lower league cup match with only 6 signed registered players to once again be a relevant force!! The lows are many and varied. I will highlight just a few. I don't get to many games in person in a season. Due to where I live and work. Usually 3 or 4. Feb 12th 2011 was a game we were at. Me my old man my son (3 generations) My best mate his brother in law and his 2 sons. It was a 50th birthday treat for my mate. We had a tour of the stadium the day before. The lady tour guide was in pieces. Could barely talk. 40 years at Ibrox and she was losing her job. Tears were shed (and not just by her). Administration had been announced. The dark clouds were gathering. Then the game v Killie a dispiriting 1 nil loss. A low point. Games to follow in the intervening years against Peterhead Annan Athletic Montrose Elgin City et all. Most of the teams that used to be in the Highland league when I was growing up. Now coming to Ibrox and winning. I particularly remember one of the games v Peterhead, Sitting in the Broomloan with my old man and my son. A 2 nil loss. But it wasn't so much the defeat. It was the manner of it. These were part timers playing better football. Looking fitter. More skilled. Better touch and awareness. It was soul destroying. Another occasion I travelled down from Aberdeenshire with my old man and met my son who had come through from Edinburgh where he was at Napier Uni. Verses Montrose. We were hanging onto a 1 nil score line going into the last 10 mins. All the talk around us in the Broomloan was how unjust the score was and how it flattered us. To no ones surprise a Montrose midfielder picked up a loose pass, strode forward purposefully and unchallenged, unleashed a bullet into the top corner. To top the day off we stopped in a chipper in Auchterarder on the way home. We parked up and all got out into the chippy (my son still wearing his scarf). Unfortunately the chipper was rammed full of a bus load of Montrose fans also making there way home!! The lows were many like I said. Progress Nidercorn. Ooft. The very mention of that name still brings me out in a cold sweat. Our then Gaffer Pedro Caxhina arguing with fans in a hedge following our most humiliating result ever bar none in Europe. Another shuddering low. Losing legends like Sandy Jardine Walter Smith and more recently Jimmy Bell have hurt the Rangers family. However, the irrepressible super Ally and all us blue noses around the world are now experiencing scenes of unbridled joy we never thought we would see again in our lifetime. Its been an almost unbelievable journey back to the top. One filled with highs lows and a shed load of memories good and bad. My wife famously said to a mate of mine when she caught us deliberating the demise of our beloved club. back in 2012. " Don't worry Gary. Rangers will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes and it'll be so amazing they'll make a movie about it!" Gary duly replied "That's a movie we'll go and see Christine!"
Imran Mohammed: There's been so many highs and lows since having to work our way up the leagues again. The major lows for me being paltry defeats and draws to bottom league sides. The first significant high was during the Warburton-era and beating Celtic in the Scottish cup semi-final; to do that against an unchallenged Celtic showed that signs were there, eventually we would manage to get back up to where we should be again.
Kathleen Sludden: I have been a season ticket holder for around 18 years. I used to take my daughter with me from the age of 3 and she would sit on my knee eating her grapes. For her Christmas in 2011, her Auntie (who attends Ibrox with me), bought her a half season ticket. The excitement didn't last long as we were relegated to the bottom tier that season. She was 8 at the time and has sat through the lower divisions, midweek games against Montrose in a half empty stadium in miserable weather. It has been brilliant sharing all these experiences with her over the years. Ups and downs. She was 6 when Rangers reached the Uefa Cup Final in Manchester and cried when myself and her Aunt left to attend the game. I was gutted for her as thought this would have been a once in a lifetime event. It's now her turn to experience this. Unfortunately, with the rubbish allocation, we have been unsuccessful in securing tickets. However, we will celebrate and make the most amazing memories. Its been the most amazing journey and to have shared it with my daughter is just something that I will hold dear to me until the day I die.
Gordon Stevenson: Rewind back to 2008, I would be 14 at the time and I couldn't believe my eyes. I've just watched Nacho Novo score the winning penalty to take us to the final of the Uefa Cup. I'd never seen this before. My dad in his late 40s at the time, told me that this would be one of Rangers greatest achievements and I believed him. When I was younger we had a brilliant team. Amoruso was my favourite player as a kid. But in 2008, no disrespect, but this was one of our poorer squads that I'd seen. We had absolutely no right in beating the teams we did on the road to the 2008 final, but we did and we deserved our place. Yes we rode our luck but we earnt that luck. So to get to the final then was the greatest achievement I'd seen in my short experience of being a Rangers fan. To talk about greatest achievements, you need to compare the greatest dissapointment. By this point I have moved out of Glasgow and relocated to Devon in England. Its now 2011 and the shocking news being reported is that Rangers have gone Into administration. This isn't even the low. My dad explains to me what is going on, the severity of what is about to happen to my club sets in and before we know we are walking out to our first game in the third division of the Scottish league. I'm so glad that i'd relocated from central Glasgow. I dont think i could have withstood the constant banter and jokes at the expense on my club. Nonetheless myself and my dad are quite amused, watching from afar, by it all and see it as a great journey back to where we belong. That amusement was quickly replaced with frustration as we draw 2-2 with Peterhead. Nonetheless, we begin to make that journey back to the top and finally make it into the Championship. The loss to Motherwell in the playoffs hurt. Like really hurt, but we weren't ready. The loss in the Scottish Cup final to hibs really really hurt. But again we weren't quite back to our best and we needed that injection of winning mentality. It was plain to see. We finally make it back to premiership and have to endure celtics dominance. Until the winning mentality begins to grow. By now Steven Gerrard has taken the reigns and whilst still not without failure, the improvement is clear to see. Ten in a row is in Celtic's sights and we only had one job that season. Stop. Them. We did it, another brilliant moment and 55 was secured. I didn't think that would be topped, but it has, and it's now. This is now the greatest ever achievement I have seen my club complete, and regardless of what the final holds, the fact that I get to see Rangers walk into another European cup final after everything that we had to endure in those journey years has almost (almost) been worth it. Now I said I havent got to my low yet and here it comes. How can you talk about a low after such a high of the last 3 weeks? Well football and family go together like Hatley and Mccoist, or Tavernier and goals. My low point in the last 5 years is that sadly, my dad passed away before Rangers won their 55th title. A season ticket holder for 20 years watching some unbelievable games and growing up watching some of the best players in the world (so he would say) was such a privilege. We shared the 2008 Cup final together and this is something I'll never forget. I wish I could share this moment with him. I wish I could celebrate with him and be swept up in the sheer joy that is created simply by your team scoring a goal. Its safe to say not being able to share 55 or this European journey with him is definitely my low and something I wish I could change, but you know what would make it all the better? To bring that European trophy home from Seville, to be able to say Glasgow Rangers are European champions in my lifetime, well that really would be our Greatest ever achievement.
Steven: I remember being a teenager going into my 20s and feeling the world of football was over for me. No more champions league nights for rangers ever again. I remember before going to a game against Peterhead my dad saying, don't worry. We will be back. He believed, so I did. Ally McCoists (Super Ally) address to the fans was a highlight when he said "one or two take a kick while they have a chance because we will be back where we belong". At this point it was about support and the belief! Then of course, the promotions, another football hero of mine,… Gerrard taking over, clear steady progression and then beating European regulars, Porto, Galatasary, slavia Prague, red star Belgrade and then Borrusia dortmund. I believed after the title we can win the europa after the unbeaten league season and fitness/ squad depth improvements. I can't wait for the final. Win or lose, this achievement is up there with the best for a team who hit rock bottom less than ten years ago. Amazing.
Tom Turner: When Rangers almost went out of business, my American wife casually commented that I could just find another team to support. I told her I'd have an easier time finding another wife. When the club started playing again... in the fourth tier... I remember Google mapping the locations of the games and looking at the "stadiums" wondering what the traveling fans were thinking.. It was a sad time, but we're back. Good luck in Seville.
Donny M: Going to my first ever Rangers away game against Queens Park at Hampden in the 3rd Division 2012. It was a painfully slow game and Fraser Aird scored the only goal on the 91st minute and the 30k Rangers fans went ballistic when the ball hit the net. I was with my mate and his dad that day and we're all going to be in Seville. What a journey!
Graham Cook: Taking my 7 year old daughter to experience the Ibrox Roar in February 2013 for her first time. Remembering her face when she heard it as almost 50000 cheered a 4-0 victory vs Queens Park. It did not matter the division nor the opponents, it was still Rangers and Ibrox - unbeatable.
Craig Jardine: Amidst all the turmoil of "The Journey," one match sticks out it in my memory: a 2-0 victory over Motherwell in the third round of the 2012/13 League Cup, and notably the first time Rangers had played top-flight opposition since being thrown out of the SPL. To increase interest, Motherwell arrived as the SPL leaders on the night and proved no pushovers, evident by the fact they then went on to bag successive second placed league finishes behind Celtic. The match was played in front of a 30,000 strong crowd, remarkable given the circumstances (the midweek kick-off time, the early round, and the general air of crisis). I was in the club deck with my Papa, keeping my Uncle Rodney's seat warm for him as he worked the night shift, and even shivering high up amongst the empty seats we could feel the tension in waves. This was, after all, the autumn after a summer of discontent, where at times the very fact of Rangers existence the coming season had seemed in doubt. With the first visit of a team from the hated SPL, Ibrox was defiant. "SPL, you're having a laugh" is probably the politest refrain heard that night, with the SFA also constantly in the verbal firing line. After the drain of all the off-field drama, what we wanted more than anything was for Rangers to start hitting back, and hard. It was an even game, and it took until the 50th minute for captain Lee McCulloch to bullet home the opener from a Dean Shiels cross, cue rapture. It was a big, big goal, and it seemed to say - "we're still here," "don't write us off yet," and most importantly "we don't do walking away." Shiels added another six minutes later, and we were in dreamland. I was only fifteen at the time, and my takeaway from the match was - "If we can take them, we can take anyone…" I imagined lowly Rangers knocking Celtic out of the cups left, right, and centre whilst we secured easy promotion over 3 years on our way back to the big time. Even my Papa, ever the Rangers optimist, wasn't quite so sure. Sadly, no longer with us, my Papa would have been beside himself with excitement ahead of Seville, fifty years after he raided Barcelona and brought back a patch of the Nou Camp pitch to keep watered in his garden. But oh, how he enjoyed the fifty-five!
Christian: As a German Rangers fan, I don't get a chance to see them play that often. Yet, I had the chance to catch two Champions League games in the late 2000s; my next games at Ibrox were against Berwick Rangers and Stranraer... and now I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the Europa League semi-final in Leipzig - what can I say? My personal Rangers journey seems to have come full circle. And getting tickets for Seville and see them lift the trophy there would be a dream come true :-)
N Neil: I honestly felt the club was done. I struggled to accept the reality of Living eternally in our great rivals shadow. As their 9 in a row bud loomed over us like a dark cloud, it was difficult to see how we could stop them. But these past few years have been incredible. Covid put a bit of a dampener on the title win, and Celtic's current rejuvenation means we're setup for a return to the rivalry being on a level playing ground. A Europa league win would put us firmly back on the map. The past 10 years wiped clean in a wave of unbelievable glory.
Rob Simpson: Rangers first win at Celtic Park since returning to the premiership (December 2019). People gave Gerrard, the players and fans stick for celebrating so much, but that result was the moment we all began believing that we had finally caught back up with Celtic, and were genuine title challengers again. After nearly 8 years of pain at that point, it was like a real cathartic release of emotion. We were finally being taken seriously again.
Douglas Anderson: Even starting at a low point all those years ago I was struck by the strong air of optimism. Gerard made the difference and brought back real credibility to the club echo Gio has only added to. The focus on Europe has affected performances in the league but the overall dominance and style of football has been of the highest order and wonderful to watch, especially at Ibrox which is such a special place.
Gordon Hay: This past decade has been a rollercoaster, from Forthbank to Forres, Peterhead to Berwick. The Challenge Cup Final against Peterhead sticks out with Hampden bouncing to Andy Halliday. The debacle of Warburton/Weir still confuses the brain cells To then stop Celtic winning 10 in a row and now the end to this season is a remarkable story. I will forgive them the title if we beat Frankfurt and then Hearts days later
Jock McKenzie: The simple fact is Rangers Football club have no right to be in a European final in this day and age. Manchester 2008 was a once in a life time moment or at least everyone thought. For Rangers to do this again in such a short period of time and in the clubs 150th year is truly remarkable. This Rangers team could be about to pull off one of the biggest feats of modern Scottish football history.
Alasdair: Most of the games I managed to get to that stick out are lows! - A 3-3 draw with Stenhousemuir in League One at Ibrox (one of the two league games we didn't win that season) - The 3-1 Scottish Cup semi-final loss against Dundee United in 2014 (at Ibrox because of the commonwealth games) - The 5-1 Old Firm defeat under Pedro Caixinha (so far my only in-person attendance) My highlights include celebrating the first win over Celtic in many years from my flat which was a stone's throw from a big Celtic pub in the Merchant City, and being proven so very wrong when I dreaded Dortmund coming to Ibrox. I thought '08 was our finest hour, this may well top it
David White: I took my nephew to his first game at Ibrox in March 2012. Annan where the opposition that day, and 15 mins into the second half and Rangers 0-2 down the wee man turned to me and said "uncle David the number 11 is good!" As scanned the program to find the Rangers players name for him I realized and told him "we don't have a number 11 today kid!" I know he said but Annan do. He called me after the Braga game to remind me of that day, and how far we have come.
Alan Wilkin: The low point was when we lost to Hibs in the cup final in 2016. We'd been through so much with being demoted and then building up from scratch again. We'd beaten our rivals in the semi final and had a shot at silverware but it wasn't to be. The highs have come in the form of winning 55 league titles without losing a game. I remember feeling proper elation as we steam-rolled the league. And this year.. Walter Smith, God rest his soul, had achieved something amazing in 2008. However this time round it's not been backs to the wall stuff. We've played teams off the park, destroyed Dortmund away from home and turned Ibrox into a fortress that even the most accomplished European teams will fear. This run in Europe has lifted the average Rangers fan to new heights of pride - a European cup final on a shoestring budget - this is a club like no other - We are Rangers.
Graeme Goodman: There is one distinct memory that I hold onto because supporting Rangers has never been an easy task. We'd hit rock bottom and in early January 2013, I laid at home I'll whilst watching us play away at Annan. We won as I recall and I think Lee McCulloch scored a penalty but Annan did have the last laugh though, as they won at Ibrox later in the season. It's games like these that make you grateful and appreciate how far we've come.
Jim Moore: Three memories that will stay with me forever: Thursday night in the Copeland Road as we qualified for the final. I've never experienced anything like that at Ibrox and I genuinely can't think of any other circumstance that would come close to creating that kind of noise and atmosphere again. The whole 55 season was incredible but the night we got it over the line partied into the wee hours after lockdown was special and we thought that it was the the journey's completion, little did we know. The last and most pertinent to me was the night that Ally McCoist was let go by Rangers. He was my boyhood hero and I was DJing at a function in the stadium that night. I had a wander around before I started and the place looked dreadful. The carpets were threadbare and the panelling and picture frames in the corridor outside the Blue Room were all chipped and worn. I shed tears at the state Green, Whyte etc... had let the the club get to - we're not on our 6th generation of fans in the family - my great grandfather had walked miles to that stadium to watch the Rangers play and these people had almost destroyed everything the club had achieved, stood for and represented. To go from that to this in the space of a handful of years is absolutely incredible and I'm so glad I've been able to witness it.
Mark Hunter: I remember nine years ago, going with my wife to a vintage clothing event. She realised I was bored, and sent me to a pub to watch Rangers versus Brechin City while she browsed the stalls. I bought a pint, and settled down to watch my team. The game ended in a draw, and I saw Rangers players having to fetch the ball for themselves from the hedge. Other customers in the pub were laughing. I left the pub with a tear running down my cheek at the realisation of how low my beloved Rangers had fallen. On Thursday of last week, I left Ibrox and again had tears running freely down my now considerably older face. For the third time in my life, I will witness Rangers in a European final. This turnaround in such a relatively short space of time is nothing short of miraculous and every Rangers supporter who stuck by the club during the wilderness years should be proud at the part they have played in helping the club get to Seville.
Aidan Hourston: I was 2 when Rangers went to Manchester, my first memories of them was in the lower leagues. I was brought up with Rangers in League 1,2 and the championship, to see Rangers in a major European Final is beyond my wildest dreams. All I've known is the journey from the bottom to the top and now we really are at the top.
Ally Grant: Travelled back from Sydney to Glasgow to see family and watch a dire 0-0 draw at Ibrox vs Stirling Albion in the 3rd division. Absolutely baltic, snowing and miserable. Would not have missed it for the world. Another high was Sydney in 2010 for my three kids first game, when we were living there: winning against Backburn Rovers. My youngest was only 4. Outstanding memories: @ Pittodrie winning league with Souness. I was only 17 but I'll never forget the sheer emotion - grown men in tears, people kissing the turf, and my mate Eddie finding his turf souvenir under his bed, stinking, 4 month later. My first old firm against Celtic: 4-4 at Ibrox March 1986 was exceptional as we came back from 3-1 down to 4-3 up. Recent high was driving up from Kent with the youngster to see us beat Braga at Ibrox in quarter final....far removed from that wintry March day in 2013 in the 3rd Division.
John Brownlie: I think how far we have come even from the Caixinha period is phenomenal. The quality of player was dreadful, the only highlight probably Morelos signing during this period. Defeat to Progres Neiderkorn was a real low. So to achieve a league chamionship under Gerrard and now taking that on with Giovanni Van Bronckhorst is quite incredible really considering some of the sides Rangers have disposed of and also other sides who were competing in the Europa League.
Jack: I can remember travelling up to Ibrox from Preston (3 hour trip) in January 2013 for a match against Montrose. It was easily the coldest I've ever been and one of the worst matches I have ever witnessed live. Montrose's late equaliser (A screamer by the way) only compounded my misery. I can remember leaving the ground that day thinking we would never ever get back to the heights of where we were before, and that this was now the norm for a very long time. To now be in a European final less than 10 years later is pretty unbelievable and do not let anyone underestimate how much of an achievement this is.
David: I remember going to see Stirling Albion on the 23rd of March 2013 on a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon. It was my first time back at Ibrox since a pre-season friendly against Manchester City in 2009. The game against Albion finished a frustrating 0-0 and the one thing I remember was looking around the full stadium and thinking to myself, how times have changed. But like many, I kept going to games and supporting the team and in 2015 I finally decided to buy a season ticket with my uncle and have been going ever since. We were at the game on Thursday against RB Leipzig and all the emotions came spilling out in those 90 minutes. We were cheering, screaming, bouncing, clapping, hugging, smiling... I even saw people crying. Because when you think back ten years ago, you would never think that we we would be anywhere near a European final. It's a fairy tale.... How times have changed.
David Ford: A key moment for me are the services of one man during the worst time in Rangers history. I think McCoist has to be given great great credit for his part in the resurrection from the pits of Scottish football. He stood by them and helped get the team out of the grave when it wasn't glamorous. His DNA will be all over that Europa league trophy when they lift it. What a man, what a legend. He doesn't get the credit he deserves.
Jack Holman: A personal low point was in 2015 when we lost Lewis Macleod. It might not seem like much today, but we had tried to develop young players from the academy, and all were found wanting. We finally found a youth player who was on fire and might send us back into the big leagues. For him to be taken for £850k by a Champsionship club was a demoralising blow. Just yesterday we saw four academy players looking like they belong in the premiership and beyond. Our progress hasn't just been in the first 11.
Will Turner: I remember that Championship run in 14/15 very fondly. Coming 3rd was extremely humbling, knowing that we needed an extra year in the lower divisions to finally win the Petrofac cup in 15/16. It made season 15/16 one of the highest in the 10 year history, where we won 2 trophies in the one year. Some may say winning the top trophies, such as the Premiership or the European cup is the best, but we know, two trophies at the second tier of football beats that every day! You can't take these days away from us!
Stu Waugh: I remember drawing 1-1 at home to Kilmarnock midweek in October 2017, the frustration from the stands was the worst it had been to that point. We sat in the car and miserably debated whether we should sack Caixinha and when we'd ever be back to where we wanted to be having fallen well behind in the title race and utterly embarrassed ourselves in Europe. Little did we know that one year later, in October 2018, we'd be hosting Rapid Vienna in the Europa League group stage. That night felt like a turning point. European nights were back at Ibrox, the atmosphere was through the roof and the team responded as we looked like we belonged here with a 3-1 win. It took us a little longer to make the progress we wanted to domestically but that night felt like the beginning of something and started us on the upward trajectory towards 55 and to Seville. There has been lower lows and higher highs in the last 10 years but I always look back on those two as perhaps the most significant.
Jack: A real low point for me was missing out on promotion from the championship in 2015. The whole season showed that getting back to the top wasn't going to be as easy as I thought and the play off was awful for us. On the other hand, the last few years have been great and its been clear the team has been building year on year.
Robin Sproull: The highlight for me is winning the league albeit without crowds. Celtic had dominated Scottish football, and with respect, were streets ahead of any other team including Rangers for the nine years of dominance. The lowest for me was watching the Premier league clubs, (other than Celtic), that voted to send Rangers to the second division, deteriorate so much so that the gap to Celtic increased. And the European results reflected on Scotland's coefficient. Celtic performed well in Europe under some managers, others not, but I cannot recall a good result for any other scottish team in Europe, during the time since Rangers were relegated.
Scott Campbell: The highs have been the steady progress that Steven Gerrard has made building a team that was getting hammered by Celtic, to one which reclaimed the League and our 55th title stopping the 10 in a row. This has now been taken to an unbelievable level by reaching the Europa League Final, not only reaching but with some stunning displays along the way! Obviously the lows are from being kicked down to the lowest tier, being ridiculed by the rest of Scotland and on our journey back to the top there were some real lows losing cup semi and finals. The biggest lows of all though were losing both Walter Smith and Jimmy Bell, both club legends in their own right.
Ian McIvor: My high has to be the night in Dortmund, there have been so many since Stevie G and so few in the years before his arrival. My low would be another euro night, losing to Progress Niederkorn! Defeat to side from Luxembourg was just an indication of how far the club had fallen. Putting things in perspective though the passing of two legends from perhaps the most dominant period in the clubs history. It just feels like there is an outside influence on the seasons success and it is beautiful!!
Kenny Graham: What an emotional night, after the most emotional of years! This is the first time I've ever been in tears at a football match, but that happened tonight! The closest I've ever come before was at the last home game of the '12 season. That match was a matter of weeks after being put into administration and there was a genuine fear that the club might not return after the summer - that's how bad things were. I wasn't sure if there would be a club to come back to and I distinctly remember the end of that match and being choked; it felt like saying goodbye! It proved to be the last year I had a season ticket and the last year but one that I would have my debenture in the Club Deck, which Charles Green stole from me the following season. So, tonight, I looked up that match: it was a tie, against Motherwell, on the 5th of May, 2012 - exactly ten years to this very day! And in that decade, how far we've come! The club have lost so much this year but how much stronger have we grown, through it all. This year, with Walter and Jimmy both going, the club has lost a massive part of its living history! However, as we always do, we survive and succeed! So, out of the blue, tonight, as Tav bagged our first, it brought a tear, because I knew we were going to Seville and I knew we're back. So go on lads, for Walter, for Jimmy, for everyone who ever felt choked at a game, for the friends we've lost, for the family no longer with us and for those singing tonight: go on! Finish the job, lads!
Paul Chambers: What Rangers have achieved in last decade has been remarkable, from the third tier of Scottish football to stopping the ten, to a European final, their 2nd in 14 years. This seasons title may be gone but Rangers fans can be proud with what this team has achieved. Labelled as underdogs throughout, Rangers battled Europe's big guns and came out on top, if they are to lift the Europa League trophy in just under two weeks time, which I wouldn't discount, it would be one of Rangers' finest seasons ever.
Iain MacFadyen: For a team languishing in the depths of Scotland's 4th tier to be European Finalists in the space of approx 10 years is not just a "Roy of the Rovers" highlight, it's a phenomenon & I doubt will EVER be repeated !!
Tommy Rowlands: Berwick to Borussia Dortmund, Elgin to Eintracht Frankfurt, the journey's been amazing. The highs, returning to the Premier League, 55 and now the Europa League Final. The lows, Dundee United's criticism of the SFA for letting us join League 2, signing players with unpronounceable names and no pedigree to try and get up the leagues, Pedro Caixinha and losing to Hibs in the Cup Final after knocking out Celtic.
Bruce Taylor: Winning our 55th Scottish League title last season and now the Europa final and a Scottish Cup final to come. After the lows of 2012, a remarkable story from a remarkable club. Ibrox was full, even in 3rd tier, where else would that happen?
Prosper Chabvuta: I honestly started being passionate about Rangers FC when Steven Gerrard was appointed manager because i am a big fan of his. The fearlessness, calculated sporting arrogance and tenacity adopted since his arrival has captivated my imagination. And add to that this current unbelievable gobsmacking journey in Europe, I am speechless. Viva Rangers!!
Lewis: I was at Rangers' first game back in League 2 against Peterhead and it finished 2-2; quite the coup for my local side. However, these past 2 seasons have shown just how far we've come from that point. Winning a title unbeaten last season and reaching a European final within a decade is insane. Been a turbulent decade, but what a ride.
David McCrone: Lows are definitely going into administration and being demoted to lower leagues . Rangers should have used that relegation to rebuild the club and its reputation. They should have promoted young players and built for the future but instead they again tried to buy their way out of trouble and wasted a lot of money of journey men and past their best players . The football was pretty poor and lacked real quality and the team never really improved until Mark Warburton was appointed manager. He brought in the likes of James Tavernier and got the team playing good attacking football again. Another low point was the removal of Warburton and appointing an unknown manager in Pedro Caixinha who took Rangers to new lows especially in Europe when we lost to a team from Luxembourg. The Gerrard appointment was brave and a big gamble but the board backed him financially and gave the team time to grow and mature and play the way Gerrard wanted . Highs are winning the league and rebuilding Rangers reputation in Europe and vastly improving Scotlands coefficient and gaining the Scottish champions direct entry to the champions league . If Rangers win the Europa League it will top pretty much anything that has been achieved in the last 50 years .
Alan McDonald: As knowingly supporting Rangers for 64 of my 67 years the ultimate high was out victory in the 3 - 1 defeat of RB Leipzig on 5th May 2022. Nothing surpasses it ever. Memories of the famous victories over Celtic, Leeds at Ibrox, being at the last European final in Manchester are wonderful reminders of what it is like to be a Rangers fan. Hopefully, although I won't be there we can win the Europa League, but should we fail, those who follow Rangers and those who have a bitter hatred of our club must look back to where we were a decade ago. Many of those who despised Rangers wished for my clubs demise and for those of us who have never faltered in our support can now bury those dark days, never knowing if we would ever grace Ibrox again to see our team, but here we are viewed throughout Europe as a team, a proud team recognised now as a team to be afraid to take on. Scotland should be proud of Rangers achievement and proud of how the progress over the past four years has pushed the coefficient up benefitting the whole of our game in this country, where others have constantly failed.
John McCroskie: My two boys have grown up in parallel with the descent and remarkable revival of our team. I never pushed them to support Rangers and as toddlers and wee boys you saw the growing dominance of the global super teams in their lives and I came to think 'we have lost this generation'. As we stuttered up through the lower leagues and they got a bit older, it was as cheap to take them to the odd game as it had been for years, but a mixed blessing. I vividly recall the look on their faces as we trailed Morton late in a game to the taunts of the smattering of away fans in the Broomloan corner. And I thought again 'we have lost this generation'. Gerrard brought some much needed gloss and credibility and slowly the Real, Barca, and Manchester mafia strips and overbearing presence started to fade. Then before lockdown came the comeback from two down against Braga and their first experience of a true European night. The noise. The feeling of the steel and bricks and mortar shaking like an earthquake. They shrugged off Gerrard's departure without missing a step and marched in behind GVB. And they have grown wide eyed as a European club system rigged against small country success has been turned on its head. I have a growing belief we can win this European trophy, something I had thought gone to my span on the planet. Just imagine what that feels like to a generation with their lives still ahead of them? No limits on what Rangers could still achieve with that belief.
Neil: I moved to Seville from Scotland in summer 2012, before we even knew if there was going to be a Rangers the next season. I shared a flat with a guy from Leipzig. In 2017, I visited him back in Leipzig for his birthday and we went with a group of his friends to watch Leipzig beat Rangers 4-0 in a friendly. They all had a little chuckle at Rangers...Many of my friends here in Seville now are either Spanish Sevilla and Betis fans, or British ex-pats, with my closest friends supporting Leicester, Manchester Utd, and, incredibly, West Ham, all of whom have had the recent joy of watching their clubs play Sevilla in Europe in last few seasons...even Betis got to play Celtic. I was desperate to see Rangers play in Seville. Now, as fate has it, I will be seeing Rangers in Seville, at the expense of Leipzig, and West Ham, v Frankfurt in the Europa League Final, when there will be tens of thousands of Gers supporters here. The first Rangers game I watched after my move to Seville, was a 0-0 draw away at Annan Athletic on my laptop in September 2012 in my new, unfurnished bedroom. It's been an incredible journey, full of magic.
Stevie Alford: The lows were visiting places like Forres, seeing the match ball stuck in a hedge somewhere, and losing at Stirling Albion when their manager wasn't even there because he was getting married the same afternoon. The highs are the record breaking 55th title last year and doing it by a record margin and unbeaten. Nothing tops last night versus Leipzig RB. What a night. Ten years after kicking off at Peterhead to reaching a European Final, knocking out high calibre sides along the way.
John Sherman: Being in the away end at Celtic Park and watching them absolutely destroy us 5-1 was a real low point. We all knew we would get back up through the lower leagues but how we would then be able to challenge again was the concern. That defeat was incredibly sobering, Celtic looked so strong under Rodgers and it only seemed a matter of time before they made 10 in a row, they were just miles better than us in every area. At the start of last season, it was hope rather than any expectation that we could get closer and possibly stop the 10. When it happened it was a really emotional moment. Even though it was never close in the league, like it has been this year, it was such a joyous relief to see Rangers win again. I never thought that could be topped, but last night I was proven wrong. To reach a European final, considering the calibre and financial strength of the teams left in the competition at the last 32 stage is a ridiculous achievement. More than that though, the manner in which we've played has just been amazing, it's not been through luck, we thourghly deserve to be in this final. If we win, I can't believe I'm even writing those words, it would be something no Rangers fan would ever have dreamt of back in 2012 or on that day at Parkhead. I'm so proud to call myself a supporter, regardless of the result, they've brought nights back to Ibrox that I never thought I'd see again.
Gaz McLau: One memory that sticks out over the last decade is probably my first time back watching a Rangers game after we had been demoted - away to Queens Park at Hampden in the third division. I remember a lot going through my head as we walked to the stadium within the crowd, not bitter that we had been demoted but more relieved to see our fans pouring into stadiums and to be a part of that again at a time not long before that I thought we wouldn't have had a club at all. Once inside the stadium I looked at the teams warming up on the park as the announcer read out the teams, thinking, and no disrespect to the opposition, that this is our level (Shows how much I knew at that time as the Queen Park left back was none other than Andy Robertson). At half time is was 0-0, hadn't played very well at all and I remember vividly thinking at this time we were a million miles away from getting back to the top division, and if we could have just merely got there in a minimum 10 years I'd have probably bitten your hand off for it. Fast forward to that 10 years and it's 2022 - if someone would have said to me we would be back in the Premiership by then I'd have laughed, if someone would have said to me we would win the premiership and stop 10 in a row I'd have walked away… if someone would have said we'd be in the Europa League Final I'd asked if you were alright while secretly trying to call the emergency services. As a fan it blows my mind just as much now as it would have if I was told 10 years ago. This story will always stick with me as that 10 years from that game in 2012 is 2022, it's almost a weird sensation to look back at myself in time and be that person who told myself this.
Cameron McLean: I remember being at Ibrox for a game against Annan in the Third Division. Annan won 2-1 that day and as the rain came pouring down I dreaded what would come of the future. Never in my life did I think Rangers would reach another European final, it's something that could only happen on Football Manager or Fifa but here we are.