Rangers Fc: We Don't Do Walking Away

by Lisa Gray

When the Scottish Football League chairmen voted on the future of Rangers Newco in July 2012, most fans didn't really expect that they would be dumped into Division Three. Many thought that hard-headed commercial realities would mean demotion to the First Division at worst. But when the decision was announced, the club had no option but to start a new football journey in the bottom tier of Scottish football. In Rangers FC - The Only Way Is Up, Lisa Gray captures the humour, the emotion and, of course, the football as the club sets out for an incredible season, visiting pastures new at Peterhead, Annan and Berwick amongst others. This is the inside story of both the team and the supporters as they adjusted to life in the Third Division - new players, new opposition and, of course, new pies. It has been an extraordinary season and this colourful account is a lasting memento of a unique season which will never be repeated.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 12, 2013

Reviews

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it would be good to look back on the 2012/2013 season at the 10 year anniversary point.

On reflection, I still feel it’s a bit soon for some of this material to be able to look back and have a laugh about but in reality, this book isn’t all doom & gloom and in fact promotes a fairly positive and optimistic point of view, much like the majority of supporters at the time (if only we all knew what was still to come!).

It’s been said time and time again but it really is incredible how far the club has come and how things have changed in the past decade. As I write this review, Rangers are due to play a Champions League match against Liverpool at Anfield in 4 days time. Add another 2 days to that and it’s 10 years to the day since they lost at Forthbank against a Stirling Albion side who’s manager wasn’t even at the game as he was getting married that day!

Going back to the book, I’m a big fan of the diary format covering each match and describing the off field events at the time too. It would have made interesting reading if more books had been produced for the rest of ‘the journey’ that’s for sure!

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn on how to rate this book. I was really interested to read an account of Rangers' first season out of the Scottish top division (as a result of their financial difficulties). This was certainly that book, but the writing itself lacked a certain amount of excitement. This book, however, is essentially a series of match reports with just a little bit of background and personal reflection added. The prose is plodding, for example: "A bit like the remains of Richard III, which had turned up in a car park in Leicester, the sectarian element within the club’s support refused to remain buried firmly in the past." Stretching to include a reference to something that was in the news at the time, but now feels a little bit dated? Check. Having to explain the reference, thus complete deflating it? Check.

So I'm glad to have read the book, because it brought me up to speed on what happened last season. Now, however, I'm reading BBC Sport's coverage of Rangers, so I don't think I'd be interested in the author's similar take on the 2013-14 season.

A few other random thoughts...

I was glad that the book was written by a mostly-neutral journalist. My other choices were Downfall: How Rangers FC Self Destructed, which is definitely an anti-Rangers tract, and the forthcoming Follow We Will: The Fall and Rise of Rangers, written largely by Rangers fans. It is amazing to an American fan how much hatred these teams can invoke. I mean, I hate the Dallas Cowboys, but only in the sense that they should lose all the games, not in the sense that they should go out of business and have their championships stricken from the records.

I have been looking for a European side to "follow" for some time. ("Support" is probably too strong of a word.) The fact that a good friend of mine likes Celtic has always made Rangers a tempting choice, particularly given my Scottish Protestant ancestry. I think what had held me back is the fact that Rangers are a Glasgow side, and my ancestors (and visits to Scotland) tended more toward Edinburgh. Ultimately, I was tipped over by how fascinating this story is. The final straw, though, was when I realized that the Rangers manager, Ally McCoist, was the voice of the FIFA PS3 games back when I had time to play them. How can I not root for that guy?

The next time I get back to the UK, I'm definitely going to beg an acquaintance to take me to a soccer match, and then I'll probably fall completely for whichever side we support. But until then, I'm going to follow the whole Rangers mess with a lot of interest.

[Billy Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In five or ten years time, when Rangers are back plying their trade in the top flight and competing in Europe, this book will hold much more importance than it currently does. The book itself chronicles Rangers' first step towards recovery and back towards heights more suited to a club of their stature. Further, there is also some humorous and heart warming tales of what life is like in the Third Division that would otherwise have been unknown.