Bearman 9 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I had never heard of this story...stumbled across it today contained in an AUSTRALIAN newspaper archive! Firstly, we all know this side was famous for winning 'the World's Greatest Clean Sweep' of League, Scottish Cup, the Glasgow Cup and the Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup during season '29-30. The Charity Cup Final against Celtic which would clinch the clean sweep finished all square and because Rangers were soon to leave for a four week North American tour, a replay was out of the question, so the game was decided on the toss of a coin... The Celtic captain chose Tails, the Kings Head faced the heavens, and the 'Grand Slam' was won. 'Heads We Win!' – The moment the Grand Slam was completed. To the St. Enoch Hotel for a quick change into attire befitting of a travelling Rangers squad under Bill Struth, and then carriages to Greenock to embark on their Transatlantic trip. Five-hundred people congregated at the St. Enoch Hotel to wish the Rangers well on their travels. At Greenock, thousands of loyal Rangers fans ecstatic at the 'Clean Sweep' sang 'Follow Follow' as the ship set sail, the Rangers players hanging over the top deck taking up the chorus with the fans. 16 players made the epic trip, accompanied by Director Ex Baillie Duncan Graham, Bill Struth and the trainer James Kerr. Alex “Sandy” Archibald; G. Brown; John Buchanan; Tommy Craig; Jimmy Fleming; Dougie Gray; Tommy Hamilton; J. Marshall, Robert McDonald, Bob McPhail, Davie Meiklejohn, Alan Morton, Tommy Muirhead, W.G. Nicholson, Jimmy Simpson and J. Smith were the players who set off for the 8 day sail. Above: Team photo aboard the Andania. The tour was a fantastic success, winning ALL of the 14 games played, scoring 68 goals. The tenth game on June 11th was won 8-1 against Calgary United of Canada, their next match was in the USA against Chicago Sparta on June 15th...it was during this train journey where everyone on board had a narrow escape. The aforementioned archived report of that journey... The Rangers of 1929/30: Dominant in Scotland, unbeaten on foreign shores. As I say, I had never heard about this part of Rangers history before. Does anyone on here remember hearing or reading about this event? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearman 9 Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 Here's a more readable upload (hopefully) 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEARGER 1,829 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 (edited) That first photo is not from 1929-30. It's either 1958 or 1960, Edited March 22, 2016 by BEARGER 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barca72 440 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Is this - "... and because Rangers were soon to leave for a four week North American tour ..." - where they got the idea for the Japanese tour? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,480 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Some info on the ship ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Imperator 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearman 9 Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 (edited) That first photo is not from 1929-30.It's either 1958 or 1960, Yeah it isn't 1930 as you say BEARGER looking at the strips, I lifted that info from CRO.... The Charity Cup Final was played on Saturday, 10 May at Hampden Park. Celtic were the opponents and were all that stood between Rangers and the clean sweep. The Cup Final itself stood between Rangers and the liner Andania, which was anchored at Greenock awaiting their arrival to ferry them across to Canada. Time was of the essence; extra time in the Cup Final was not! All-Square after 90 minutes meant an additional 30 minutes were required. No goals were scored, and with a replay being impractical as Rangers would be mid-Atlantic, the fate of the Cup would be decided by a toss of a coin. The Celtic captain chose Tails, the Kings Head faced the heavens, and the 'Grand Slam' was won. . 'Heads We Win!' – The moment the Grand Slam was completed. There was no time to waste if The Rangers were to catch their train to the 'Tail O' the Bank' to board the Andania, where the Captain was awaiting them for a celebratory dinner and speeches. It's a cow when you use what you think is a pretty reliable source then find it's not as it seems. I should have noticed myself the kits were no-way 1930's. Question is, what picture is that about then? Edited March 22, 2016 by Bearman 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearman 9 Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 Some info on the ship ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Imperator That wiki page on the ship is interesting...though not as much as the outgoing ships fate... The Rangers' chariot across the Atlantic and the shipping line advert for the May 10 sailing. The Andania now lies some 70 miles from Reykjavic after being torpedoed by German submarine U-A on 16 June 1940. From Copland Road. Org...believe at your peril 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEARGER 1,829 Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Yeah it isn't 1930 as you say BEARGER looking at the strips, I lifted that info from CRO.... It's a cow when you use what you think is a pretty reliable source then find it's not as it seems. I should have noticed myself the kits were no-way 1930's. Question is, what picture is that about then? The Glasow Merchants Charity cup semi finals in 1958 and 1960 were also decided by toss of coin. Rangers won both. Masonic penny used both times!! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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