# 2008–09 Rangers F.C. season

The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football by Rangers.

## Overview

Rangers played a total of 49 competitive matches during the 2008–09 season. The season began disastrously as the club exited the UEFA Champions League and European football altogether, losing 2–1 on aggregate to Lithuanian side FBK Kaunas in the second qualifying round. The first leg at Ibrox finished goalless, but the return leg ended in defeat for Rangers after an 87th-minute header from Linas Pilibaitis. The financial consequences of the failures to qualify for the Champions League were revealed when the club posted a loss of £3.9m for the six months to December 2008, and in March decided to offer staff the option of voluntary redundancy as a way of cutting costs. There was also mounting pressure on the manager to reduce the first team squad from 28 players to a more manageable figure. The player excess was eased slightly with the departures of Chris Burke, Jean-Claude Darcheville and a couple out on loan deals but the increased debt meant that the club needed to find a cash injection. This resulted in the attempted sale of Kris Boyd to Birmingham City which fell through due to the players wage demands.
In the first Old Firm game of the season, Rangers won 4–2, with Pedro Mendes scoring his first goal for the club, and Kenny Miller scoring a double against his former employers. But the team's league form stuttered thereafter. Despite a run of five wins from six matches following the Old Firm victory, the side trailed Celtic by seven points in the league at the turn of the year. For the first few months of 2009 both sides dropped and gained points on the other and Rangers briefly took over top spot of the Scottish Premier League on 21 February after a win against Kilmarnock. The spell as league leaders lasted less than a fortnight. A defeat and a draw, both at home, to Inverness and Hearts respectively, saw Smith's side sit second in the table, one point behind Celtic, at the split. The fourth Old Firm league meeting of the season finished with a 1–0 win to Rangers, thanks to a Steven Davis strike. This meant that, with three league games remaining, Rangers were two points ahead of Celtic. Further twists and turns followed, both Old Firm sides drew their matches against Hibernian at Easter Road, and so Rangers were ahead by two points with one round of matches remaining. Smith's side just needed a win against Dundee United to guarantee the club's 52nd league title. That is exactly what they got, goals from Kyle Lafferty, Pedro Mendes and Kris Boyd sealed a 3–0 win and the club's first league championship in four seasons.
The club played in the finals of both of the domestic cup competitions for the second season running. The 2009 Scottish League Cup Final was reached by defeating Partick Thistle, Hamilton and Falkirk en route but the final ended in a 2–0 defeat at the hands of Old Firm rivals Celtic. The match was Walter Smith's first ever Old Firm final and was marred by a Kirk Broadfoot sending off deep into extra time for a foul on Aidan McGeady inside the penalty box. Celtic were subsequently awarded a penalty which McGeady himself converted.
Rangers qualified for the 2009 Scottish Cup Final after beating St Mirren 3–0 in the semi-final. The second goal of the game was scored by Kris Boyd and was his 100th goal for Rangers. The team faced Falkirk at Hampden Park on 30 May 2009 in what was the club's 51st Scottish Cup Final appearance. A Nacho Novo strike in the first minute of the second half gave Rangers a 1–0 win and completed the domestic double.

## Players
### Squad information

| N | Pos. | Name | Age | Since | App | Goals | Ends | Transfer fee | Notes |
| 1 | GK | Allan McGregor | 27 | 1998 | 141 | 0 | 2013 | Youth system | |
| 2 | MF | Maurice Edu | 23 | 2008 | 16 | 2 | 2013 | £2.6m | |
| 3 | DF | David Weir (captain) | 39 | 2007 (Winter) | 126 | 5 | 2010 | Free | |
| 4 | DF | Carlos Cuéllar | 27 | 2007 | 65 | 5 | 2011 | £2.37m | left on 12 August |
| 4 | MF | Pedro Mendes | 30 | 2008 | 42 | 4 | 2011 | £3m | |
| 5 | DF | Saša Papac | 29 | 2006 | 108 | 2 | 2011 | £0.45m | |
| 6 | MF | Barry Ferguson | 31 | 2005 (Winter) | 431 | 61 | 2010 | £4.5m | |
| 7 | MF | Brahim Hemdani | 31 | 2005 | 108 | 2 | 2009 | Free | |
| 8 | MF | Kevin Thomson | 24 | 2007 (Winter) | 70 | 3 | 2011 | £2m | |
| 9 | FW | Kris Boyd | 25 | 2005 (Winter) | 152 | 102 | 2010 | £0.4m | |
| 10 | FW | Nacho Novo | 30 | 2004 | 206 | 64 | 2010 | £0.45m | |
| 11 | MF | Charlie Adam | 23 | 2003 | 87 | 18 | 2012 | Youth system | |
| 12 | MF | Lee McCulloch | 31 | 2007 | 66 | 7 | 2011 | £2.25m | |
| 14 | FW | Steven Naismith | 22 | 2008 | 42 | 5 | 2012 | £1.9m | |
| 15 | MF | Alan Gow | 26 | 2007 | 2 | 0 | 2010 | Free | |
| 16 | GK | Graeme Smith | 26 | 2007 | 1 | 0 | 2010 | Free | |
| 17 | MF | Chris Burke | 25 | 2000 | 131 | 14 | 2009 | Youth system | left on 12 January |
| 18 | FW | Kenny Miller | 29 | 2008 | 76 | 24 | 2011 | £2m | |
| 19 | FW | Jean-Claude Darcheville | 33 | 2007 | 59 | 16 | 2009 | Free | left on 1 January |
| 20 | MF | DaMarcus Beasley | 27 | 2007 | 33 | 5 | 2010 | £0.7m | |
| 21 | DF | Kirk Broadfoot | 24 | 2007 | 68 | 1 | 2010 | Free | |
| 22 | DF | Andy Webster | 27 | 2008 | 1 | 1 | 2011 | £0.4m | |
| 23 | DF | Christian Dailly | 35 | 2008 (Winter) | 36 | 2 | 2009 | Free | |
| 24 | DF | Madjid Bougherra | 26 | 2008 | 39 | 1 | 2012 | £2.5m | |
| 25 | GK | Neil Alexander | 31 | 2008 (Winter) | 29 | 0 | 2011 | Free | |
| 26 | DF | Steven Smith | 23 | 2002 | 57 | 1 | 2010 | Youth system | |
| 27 | FW | Kyle Lafferty | 21 | 2008 | 32 | 9 | 2013 | £3.25m | |
| 28 | DF | Steven Whittaker | 24 | 2007 | 79 | 8 | 2012 | £2m | |
| 29 | FW | Daniel Cousin | 31 | 2007 | 44 | 13 | 2010 | £1.1m | left on 1 September |
| 31 | MF | Aarón Ñíguez | 20 | 2008 | 5 | 2 | 2010 | Loan | |
| 35 | MF | Steven Davis | 24 | 2008 | 69 | 8 | 2012 | £3m | |
| 37 | FW | Andrius Velička | 30 | 2008 | 11 | 5 | 2011 | £1m | |
| 45 | FW | Rory Loy | 21 | 2006 | 1 | 0 | 2011 | £0.025m | |
| 53 | MF | John Fleck | 17 | 2007 | 13 | 1 | 2011 | Youth system | |
| 56 | FW | Andrew Little | 20 | 2006 | 1 | 0 | 2011 | Youth system | |
* Last updated: 24 May 2009
* Source: Players transfer, Wikipedia players' articles,
Football Squads (for appearances, goals and player's number)
* Ordered by position on pitch.

### Transfers
#### In

| No. | Pos. | Name | Age | Moving from | Type | Transfer window | Ends | Transfer fee |
| 22 | DF | Andy Webster | 26 | Wigan Athletic | Transfer | Summer | 2011 | £0.45m |
| 18 | FW | Kenny Miller | 28 | Derby County | Transfer | Summer | 2011 | £2m |
| 37 | FW | Andrius Velička | 29 | Viking | Transfer | Summer | 2011 | £1m |
| 27 | FW | Kyle Lafferty | 20 | Burnley | Transfer | Summer | 2013 | £3.25m |
| 24 | DF | Madjid Bougherra | 25 | Charlton Athletic | Transfer | Summer | 2012 | £2.5m |
| 31 | MF | Aarón Ñíguez | 19 | Valencia | Loan | Summer | 2010 | n/a |
| 4 | MF | Pedro Mendes | 29 | Portsmouth | Transfer | Summer | 2011 | £3m |
| 35 | MF | Steven Davis | 23 | Fulham | Transfer | Summer | 2012 | £3m |
| 2 | MF | Maurice Edu | 22 | Toronto FC | Transfer | Summer | 2013 | £2.6m |
Last updated: 22 August 2008 Total spending: £17.8m

#### Out

| N | Pos. | Name | Age | Moving to | Type | Transfer window | Transfer fee |
| 54 | DF | Nicholas Gallacher | 18 | Motherwell | End of contract | Summer | n/a |
| 57 | FW | Lacine Cherif | 17 | Kilmarnock | End of contract | Summer | n/a |
| 55 | MF | Alistair Park | 17 | Hibernian | End of contract | Summer | n/a |
| 50 | DF | Michael Donald | 19 | Free agent | End of contract | Summer | n/a |
| 31 | GK | Calum Reidford | 21 | Dunfermline Athletic | End of contract | Summer | n/a |
| 41 | DF | Chris Smith | 19 | Greenock Morton | End of contract | Summer | n/a |
| 52 | MF | Jeroen Van Den Broeck | 19 | AGOVV | End of contract | Summer | n/a |
| 23 | FW | Filip Šebo | 24 | Valenciennes | Transfer | Summer | £1m |
| 4 | MF | Thomas Buffel | 27 | Cercle Brugge | Transfer | Summer | Free |
| 4 | DF | Carlos Cuéllar | 26 | Aston Villa | Transfer | Summer | £7.8m |
| 43 | FW | Steven Lennon | 20 | Partick Thistle | Loan | Summer | n/a |
| 80 | GK | Mark Weir | 16 | Kilmarnock | Loan | Summer | n/a |
| 22 | DF | Andy Webster | 26 | Bristol City | Loan | Summer | n/a |
| 36 | MF | Dean Furman | 20 | Bradford City | Loan | Summer | n/a |
| 42 | DF | Alan Lowing | 20 | Clyde | Loan | Summer | n/a |
| 44 | MF | Paul Emslie | 20 | Clyde | Loan | Summer | n/a |
| 41 | GK | Scott Gallacher | 19 | Cowdenbeath | Loan | Summer | n/a |
| 29 | FW | Daniel Cousin | 31 | Hull City | Transfer | Summer | £3.5m |
| 15 | MF | Alan Gow | 25 | Blackpool | Loan | Summer | n/a |
| 40 | GK | Lee Robinson | 22 | St Johnstone | Loan | n/a | n/a |
| 52 | MF | Andrew Shinnie | 19 | Dundee | Loan | n/a | n/a |
| 55 | DF | Steven Kinniburgh | 19 | Queen of the South | Loan | n/a | n/a |
| 45 | FW | Rory Loy | 20 | Dunfermline Athletic | Loan | n/a | n/a |
| 48 | DF | William McLachlan | 19 | Airdrie United | Loan | n/a | n/a |
| 40 | GK | Lee Robinson | 22 | Queen of the South | Loan | n/a | n/a |
| 19 | FW | Jean-Claude Darcheville | 33 | Valenciennes | Transfer | Winter | Free |
| 47 | DF | Jordan McMillan | 20 | Hamilton Academical | Loan | Winter | n/a |
| 17 | MF | Chris Burke | 25 | Cardiff City | Transfer | Winter | Free |
| 54 | MF | Georgios Efrem | 19 | Dundee | Loan | Winter | n/a |
| 15 | MF | Alan Gow | 26 | Norwich City | Loan | Winter | n/a |
| 11 | MF | Charlie Adam | 23 | Blackpool | Loan | Winter | n/a |
| 49 | DF | Ross Harvey | 19 | Brechin City | Loan | n/a | n/a |
| 55 | DF | Steven Kinniburgh | 19 | St Johnstone | Loan | n/a | n/a |
Last updated: 31 March 2008 Total income: £12.3m

### Squad statistics

List of squad players, including number of appearances by competition
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Other | Other |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | SCO | Allan McGregor | 35 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2 | MF | USA | Maurice Edu | 16 | 2 | 11+1 | 2 | 2+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | SCO | David Weir | 47 | 2 | 36 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | POR | Pedro Mendes | 42 | 4 | 35 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | BIH | Saša Papac | 39 | 2 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | SCO | Barry Ferguson | 27 | 2 | 17+5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ALG | Brahim Hemdani | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | SCO | Kevin Thomson | 14 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | SCO | Kris Boyd | 46 | 31 | 33+2 | 27 | 4+1 | 1 | 3+1 | 3 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ESP | Nacho Novo | 38 | 9 | 7+22 | 5 | 0+3 | 2 | 2+2 | 2 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | SCO | Charlie Adam | 11 | 0 | 7+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | SCO | Lee McCulloch | 20 | 0 | 10+2 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | SCO | Steven Naismith | 11 | 0 | 1+6 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | SCO | Alan Gow | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | GK | SCO | Graeme Smith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | SCO | Chris Burke | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | SCO | Kenny Miller | 38 | 13 | 25+5 | 10 | 4+1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | FRA | Jean-Claude Darcheville | 11 | 1 | 4+4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | USA | DaMarcus Beasley | 12 | 0 | 6+4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | SCO | Kirk Broadfoot | 34 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | SCO | Andy Webster | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | SCO | Christian Dailly | 14 | 0 | 7+2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | ALG | Madjid Bougherra | 39 | 1 | 31 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | GK | SCO | Neil Alexander | 14 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | SCO | Steven Smith | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | FW | NIR | Kyle Lafferty | 32 | 9 | 11+14 | 6 | 2+1 | 2 | 2+1 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 28 | DF | SCO | Steven Whittaker | 31 | 3 | 19+5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 29 | FW | GAB | Daniel Cousin | 2 | 1 | 1+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | ESP | Aarón Ñíguez | 5 | 2 | 0+3 | 0 | 1+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | NIR | Steven Davis | 43 | 7 | 34 | 6 | 4+1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | FW | LTU | Andrius Velička | 11 | 5 | 6+2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 45 | FW | SCO | Rory Loy | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 53 | MF | SCO | John Fleck | 10 | 1 | 7+1 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 56 | FW | NIR | Andrew Little | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Top Scorer

| N | P | Name | SPL | SC | SLC | E | Total |
| 9 | FW | Kris Boyd | 27 | 1 | 3 | | 31 |
| 18 | FW | Kenny Miller | 10 | 3 | | | 13 |
| 10 | FW | Nacho Novo | 5 | 2 | 2 | | 9 |
| 27 | FW | Kyle Lafferty | 6 | 2 | 1 | | 9 |
| 35 | MF | Steven Davis | 5 | 1 | 1 | | 7 |
| 37 | FW | Andrius Velička | 4 | | 1 | | 5 |
| 4 | MF | Pedro Mendes | 3 | | 1 | | 4 |
| 28 | DF | Steven Whittaker | 2 | 1 | | | 3 |
| 3 | DF | David Weir | 2 | | | | 2 |
| 2 | MF | Maurice Edu | 2 | | | | 2 |
| 6 | MF | Barry Ferguson | 2 | | | | 2 |
| 5 | DF | Saša Papac | 1 | 1 | | | 2 |
| 8 | MF | Kevin Thomson | 1 | | | 1 | 2 |
| 31 | MF | Aarón Ñíguez | | 2 | | | 2 |
| 24 | DF | Madjid Bougherra | 1 | | | | 1 |
| 53 | MF | John Fleck | 1 | | | | 1 |
| 19 | FW | Jean-Claude Darcheville | 1 | | | | 1 |
| 29 | FW | Daniel Cousin | 1 | | | | 1 |
Last updated: 24 May 2009 Source: Match reports Only competitive matches

### Disciplinary record

| N | P | Name | YC | | RC |
| 1 | GK | Allan McGregor | 1 | | |
| 3 | DF | David Weir | 5 | | 1 |
| 4 | MF | Pedro Mendes | 7 | | |
| 5 | DF | Saša Papac | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | Barry Ferguson | 3 | | |
| 8 | MF | Kevin Thomson | 4 | | |
| 9 | FW | Kris Boyd | 6 | | |
| 10 | FW | Nacho Novo | 2 | | |
| 11 | MF | Charlie Adam | 2 | | |
| 12 | MF | Lee McCulloch | 6 | | |
| 14 | FW | Steven Naismith | 1 | | |
| 18 | FW | Kenny Miller | 3 | | |
| 21 | DF | Kirk Broadfoot | 4 | | 1 |
| 23 | DF | Christian Dailly | 4 | | |
| 24 | DF | Madjid Bougherra | 8 | | 1 |
| 26 | DF | Steven Smith | 2 | | |
| 27 | FW | Kyle Lafferty | 6 | | |
| 28 | DF | Steven Whittaker | 5 | | |
| 29 | FW | Daniel Cousin | 1 | 1 | |
| 31 | MF | Aarón Ñíguez | 1 | | |
| 35 | MF | Steven Davis | 1 | | |
| 53 | MF | John Fleck | 1 | | |
Last updated: 24 May 2009 Source: Match reports Only competitive matches

## Matches
### Scottish Premier League

| Game | Date | Tournament | Round | Ground | Opponent | Score$^1$ | Report |
| 3 | 9 August 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 1 | A | Falkirk | 1–0 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 BST Attendance 6,669 Referee Dougie McDonald Falkirk Rangers 64' Velička |
| 4 | 16 August 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 2 | H | Heart of Midlothian | 2–0 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 BST Attendance 48,191 Referee Stuart Dougal Rangers Heart of Midlothian 37' Lafferty 90' (pen.) Boyd  74' Mikoliunas |
| 5 | 23 August 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 3 | A | Aberdeen | 1–1 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 BST Attendance 16,489 Referee Craig Thomson Aberdeen Rangers 45' Young 24' Weir |
| 6 | 31 August 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 4 | A | Celtic | 4–2 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 BST Attendance 58,595 Referee Dougie McDonald Celtic Rangers 39' Samaras 76' Vennegoor of Hesselink 90' Nakamura 37' Cousin 52' Miller 62' Mendes 75' Cousin 79' Miller |
| 7 | 13 September 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 5 | H | Kilmarnock | 2–1 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 BST Attendance 50,019 Referee Calum Murray Rangers Kilmarnock 58' Boyd 62' Boyd 90' Papac 9' Wright |
| 8 | 21 September 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 6 | H | Motherwell | 2–1 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 BST Attendance 49,448 Referee Eddie Smith Rangers Motherwell 57' Davis 76' Novo 87' Clarkson |
| 10 | 28 September 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 7 | A | Hibernian | 3–0 | Report Report link Kick off 14:00 BST Attendance 15,292 Referee Calum Murray Hibernian Rangers 31' Miller 40' Miller 73' Bougherra |
| 11 | 5 October 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 8 | A | St Mirren | 0–1 | Report Report link Kick off 14:00 GMT Attendance 7,520 Referee William Collum St Mirren Rangers 77' McGinn |
| 12 | 25 October 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 10 | A | Hamilton Academical | 3–1 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 GMT Attendance 4,613 Referee Dougie McDonald Hamilton Academical Rangers 26' Easton 42' (pen.) Boyd 50' Boyd 80' Novo |
| 14 | 1 November 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 11 | H | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 5–0 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 GMT Attendance 49,255 Referee Crawford Allan Rangers Inverness Caledonian Thistle 7' Novo 14' Boyd 19' Boyd 28' (pen.) Boyd 45' Miller |
| 15 | 4 November 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 9 | H | Dundee United | 3–3 | Report Report link Kick off 19:45 GMT Attendance 48,686 Referee Craig Thomson Rangers Dundee United 11' Davis 37' Papac 90' Thomson 17' Sandaza 58' Sandaza 59' Robertson |
| 16 | 9 November 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 12 | A | Kilmarnock | 4–0 | Report Report link Kick off 14:00 GMT Attendance 10,153 Referee Eddie Smith Kilmarnock Rangers 50' Weir 54' Boyd 87' Miller 90' Whittaker |
| 17 | 12 November 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 13 | A | Motherwell | 0–0 | Report Report link Kick off 19:45 GMT Attendance 9,600 Referee Steve Conroy |
| 18 | 15 November 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 14 | H | St Mirren | 2–1 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 GMT Attendance 49,321 Referee David Somers Rangers St Mirren 5' Boyd 10' Davis 81' Miranda |
| 19 | 22 November 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 15 | H | Aberdeen | 2–0 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 GMT Attendance 50,166 Referee Craig Thomson Rangers Aberdeen 52' Darcheville 68' Boyd |
| 20 | 29 November 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 16 | A | Heart of Midlothian | 1–2 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 GMT Attendance 15,710 Referee Dougie McDonald Heart of Midlothian Rangers 20' Zaliukas 23' Kingston 76' Wallace 26' (o.g.) Karipidis |
| 21 | 6 December 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 17 | H | Hamilton Academical | 7–1 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 GMT Attendance 48,282 Referee Calum Murray Rangers Hamilton Academical 11' Miller 28' (pen.) Boyd 52' Boyd 62' Boyd 80' Lafferty 88' Novo 90' Davis 2' McArthur 51' Canning |
| 22 | 13 December 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 18 | A | Dundee United | 2–2 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 GMT Attendance 11,362 Referee Iain Brines Dundee United Rangers 50' Wilkie 54' Feeney 11' Boyd 76' Lafferty |
| 23 | 20 December 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 19 | H | Hibernian | 1–0 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 GMT Attendance 49,538 Referee Steve Conroy Rangers Hibernian 11' Boyd |
| 24 | 27 December 2008 | Scottish Premier League | 20 | H | Celtic | 0–1 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 GMT Attendance 50,403 Referee Craig Thomson Rangers Celtic 58' McDonald |
| 25 | 4 January 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 21 | A | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 3–0 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 GMT Attendance 7,056 Referee Dougie McDonald Inverness Caledonian Thistle Rangers 46' Mendes 81' Boyd 87' Boyd |
| 27 | 17 January 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 22 | H | Falkirk | 3–1 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 GMT Attendance 48,811 Referee William Collum Rangers Falkirk 45' (pen.) Boyd 77' Papac 80' Boyd 90' Davis 12' Lovell 51' Cregg |
| 28 | 24 January 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 23 | A | Aberdeen | 0–0 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 GMT Attendance 20,441 Referee Calum Murray |
| 30 | 31 January 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 24 | H | Dundee United | 2–0 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 GMT Attendance 49,911 Referee Iain Brines Rangers Dundee United 78' (pen.) Fleck 90' Lafferty |
| 31 | 15 February 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 25 | A | Celtic | 0–0 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 GMT Attendance 58,766 Referee Calum Murray |
| 33 | 21 February 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 26 | H | Kilmarnock | 3–1 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 GMT Attendance 50,301 Referee Brian Winter Rangers Kilmarnock 29' Miller 33' Boyd 35' Boyd 17' Hamill |
| 34 | 28 February 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 27 | A | Hamilton Academical | 1–0 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 GMT Attendance 5,895 Referee Craig Thomson Hamilton Academical Rangers 35' Ferguson |
| 35 | 4 March 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 28 | H | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 0–1 | Report Report link Kick off 19:45 GMT Attendance 48,129 Referee Calum Murray Rangers Inverness Caledonian Thistle  90' Weir 90' Black |
| 38 | 21 March 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 29 | H | Heart of Midlothian | 2–2 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 GMT Attendance 50,310 Referee Craig Thomson Rangers Heart of Midlothian 9' Lafferty 45' Ferguson 64' Karipidis 67' Palazuelos |
| 39 | 5 April 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 30 | A | Falkirk | 1–0 | Report Report link Kick off 14:00 BST Attendance 6,853 Referee Iain Brines Falkirk Rangers 9' Boyd |
| 40 | 8 April 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 31 | A | St Mirren | 2–1 | Report Report link Kick off 19:45 BST Attendance 6,231 Referee Eddie Smith St Mirren Rangers 56' Dorman 12' Boyd 19' Edu |
| 41 | 11 April 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 32 | H | Motherwell | 3–1 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 BST Attendance 50,080 Referee David Somers Rangers Motherwell 2' Velička 10' Boyd 65' (pen.) Boyd 37' Sutton |
| 42 | 19 April 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 33 | A | Hibernian | 3–2 | Report Report link Kick off 14:00 BST Attendance 14,014 Referee Steve Conroy Hibernian Rangers 34' Sutton 84' Rankin 2' Whittaker 52' Velička 73' Edu |
| 44 | 3 May 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 34 | H | Heart of Midlothian | 2–0 | Report Report link Kick off 15:30 BST Attendance 49,663 Referee Iain Brines Rangers Heart of Midlothian 45' Velička 89' Boyd |
| 45 | 9 May 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 35 | H | Celtic | 1–0 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 BST Attendance 50,321 Referee Craig Thomson Rangers Celtic 37' Davis |
| 46 | 13 May 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 36 | A | Hibernian | 1–1 | Report Report link Kick off 19:45 BST Attendance 13,765 Referee Eddie Smith Hibernian Rangers 41' Riordan 80' Novo |
| 47 | 16 May 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 37 | H | Aberdeen | 2–1 | Report Report link Kick off 12:30 BST Attendance 50,295 Referee Stuart Dougal Rangers Aberdeen  40' Bougherra 41' (o.g.) Foster 68' Miller  18' Mulgrew 77' Paton |
| 48 | 24 May 2009 | Scottish Premier League | 38 | A | Dundee United | 3–0 | Report Report link Kick off 13:00 BST Attendance 14,077 Referee Dougie McDonald Dundee United Rangers 6' Lafferty 45' Mendes 52' Boyd |
Last updated: 24 May 2009 Source: Wikipedia article $^1$Rangers goals come first. National flags for Ground and Opponent columns are only shown when different from that of Rangers. M = Match; Ground: H = Home, A = Away, N = Neutral, HR = Home replacement, AR = Away replacement.

### UEFA Champions League

| Game | Date | Tournament | Round | Ground | Opponent | Score$^1$ | Report |
| 1 | 30 July 2008 | Champions League | QR2 | H | FBK Kaunas | 0–0 | Report Report link Kick off 19:45 BST Attendance 34,847 Referee Kevin Blom |
| 2 | 5 August 2008 | Champions League | QR2 | A | FBK Kaunas | 1–2 | Report Report link Kick off 18:05 BST Attendance 5,500 Referee Stefan Johannesson FBK Kaunas Rangers 43' Radžius 87' Pilibaitis 33' Thomson |
Last updated: 5 August 2008 Source: Wikipedia article $^1$Rangers goals come first. National flags for Ground and Opponent columns are only shown when different from that of Rangers. M = Match; Ground: H = Home, A = Away, N = Neutral, HR = Home replacement, AR = Away replacement.

### Scottish Cup

| Game | Date | Tournament | Round | Ground | Opponent | Score$^1$ | Report |
| 26 | 13 January 2009 | Scottish Cup | 4 | A | St Johnstone | 2–0 | Report Report link Kick off 20:05 BST Attendance 7,746 Referee Dougie McDonald St Johnstone Rangers 43' (o.g.) McCaffrey 79' Novo |
| 32 | 18 February 2009 | Scottish Cup | 5 | A | Forfar Athletic | 4–0 | Report Report link Kick off 19:45 GMT Attendance 4,718 Referee Eddie Smith Forfar Athletic Rangers  70' Elliot Smith 8' Papac 54' Miller 84' Aarón 90' Miller |
| 36 | 8 March 2009 | Scottish Cup | QF | H | Hamilton Academical | 5–1 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 GMT Attendance 27,588 Referee Iain Brines Rangers Hamilton Academical 15' Whittaker 35' Lafferty 45' (pen.) Aarón 53' Davis 81' Lafferty 26' Quinn |
| 43 | 25 April 2009 | Scottish Cup | SF | N | St Mirren | 3–0 | Report Report link Kick off 12:15 BST Attendance 32,431 Referee Calum Murray Rangers St Mirren 2' Velička 66' Boyd 70' Miller |
| 49 | 30 May 2009 | Scottish Cup | F | N | Falkirk | 1–0 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 BST Attendance 51,193 Referee Craig Thomson Rangers Falkirk 46' Novo |
Last updated: 30 May 2009 Source: Wikipedia article $^1$Rangers goals come first. National flags for Ground and Opponent columns are only shown when different from that of Rangers. M = Match; Ground: H = Home, A = Away, N = Neutral, HR = Home replacement, AR = Away replacement.

### League Cup

| Game | Date | Tournament | Round | Ground | Opponent | Score$^1$ | Report |
| 9 | 24 September 2008 | League Cup | 3 | A | Partick Thistle | 2–1 | Report Report link Kick off 19:45 BST Attendance 6,497 Referee Steve Conroy Partick Thistle Rangers 33' McKeown 25' Boyd 116' Mendes |
| 13 | 28 October 2008 | League Cup | QF | H | Hamilton Academical | 2–0 | Report Report link Kick off 19:45 GMT Attendance 32,083 Referee Eddie Smith Rangers Hamilton Academical 25' Boyd 50' Lafferty |
| 29 | 27 January 2009 | League Cup | SF | N | Falkirk | 3–0 | Report Report link Kick off 19:45 GMT Attendance 24,507 Referee Charlie Richmond Rangers Falkirk 8' Novo 40' Novo 88' Boyd |
| 37 | 15 March 2009 | League Cup | F | N | Celtic | 0–2 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 GMT Attendance 51,193 Referee Dougie McDonald Celtic Rangers 91' O'Dea 120' (pen.) McGeady  120' Broadfoot |
Last updated: 15 March 2009 Source: Wikipedia article $^1$Rangers goals come first. National flags for Ground and Opponent columns are only shown when different from that of Rangers. M = Match; Ground: H = Home, A = Away, N = Neutral, HR = Home replacement, AR = Away replacement.

### Friendlies

| Game | Date | Tournament | Ground | Opponent | Score$^1$ | Report |
| 1 | 13 July 2008 | Friendly | A | Preußen Münster | 1–0 | Report Report link Attendance 5,211 Referee Cetin Sevinc Preußen Münster Rangers 35' (pen.) Adam |
| 2 | 16 July 2008 | Friendly | A | Sportfreunde Lotte | 3–1 | Report Report link Kick off 18:00 BST Attendance 3,000 Referee Rene Kunsleben Sportfreunde Lotte Rangers 5' Dennis Rommel 70' Boyd 71' Boyd 86' Fleck |
| 3 | 19 July 2008 | Friendly | A | Schalke 04 | 0–1 | Report Report link Attendance 28,350 Referee Detlef Scheppe Schalke 04 Rangers 30' Krstajić |
| 4 | 22 July 2008 | Friendly | A | Clyde | 1–0 | Report Report link Kick off 19:45 BST Attendance 7,653 Referee Steven Nicholls Clyde Rangers 79' Novo |
| 5 | 26 July 2008 | Friendly | A | Raith Rovers | 2–1 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 BST Attendance 4,865 Referee Steve Conroy Raith Rovers Rangers 31' Smith 70' Novo 79' Cousin |
| 6 | 2 August 2008 | Friendly | H | Liverpool | 0–4 | Report Report link Kick off 15:00 BST Attendance 50,223 Referee Craig Thomson Rangers Liverpool 23' Torres 56' Ngog 60' Benayoun 70' (pen.) Alonso |
| 7 | 4 February 2009 | Friendly | H | Milan | 2–2 | Report Report link Kick off 19:45 GMT Attendance 45,197 Referee William Collum Rangers Milan 64' Beasley 82' Papac 69' Pato 77' Kaká |
Last updated: 24 May 2009 Source: $^1$Rangers goals come first. National flags for Ground and Opponent columns are only shown when different from that of Rangers. M = Match; Ground: H = Home, A = Away, N = Neutral, HR = Home replacement, AR = Away replacement.

## Competitions
### Overall

| Competition | Started round | Final position / round | First match | Last match |
| Scottish Premier League | — | 1st | 9 August | 24 May |
| Champions League | Second Qualifying Round | Second Qualifying Round | 30 July | 6 August |
| League Cup | 3rd round | Runners-up | 24 September | 15 March |
| Scottish Cup | 4th Round | Winners | 13 January | 30 May |
Source: Competitions

### Scottish Premier League
#### Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Rangers (C) | 38 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 77 | 28 | +49 | 86 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Celtic | 38 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 80 | 33 | +47 | 82 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 3 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 40 | 37 | +3 | 59 | Qualification for the Europa League play-off round |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 41 | 40 | +1 | 53 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round |
| 5 | Dundee United | 38 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 53 | |
* ↑ Teams played each other three times (33 matches), before the league split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last five matches.

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 24 May 2009. Source: Wikipedia article

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A |
| Result | W | W | D | W | W | W | W | L | D | W | W | W | D | W | W | L | W | D | W | L | W | W | D | W | D | W | W | L | W | D | W | W | W | W | W | D | W | W |