# 1996–97 Rangers F.C. season

The 1996–97 season was the 117th season of competitive football by Rangers.

## Overview

Rangers played a total of 52 competitive matches during the 1996–97 season. The team finished first in the Scottish Premier Division and won its ninth consecutive league title, equalling the long-standing record of their rivals Celtic
In the cup competitions, the team won the Scottish League Cup beating Heart of Midlothian 4–3 in the final. Rangers were knocked out the Scottish Cup by Celtic at the quarter-final stage, losing 2–0.
The side reached the group stages of the UEFA Champions League this season and were drawn into a group with Grasshopper, Auxerre and Ajax.
Between July and March, manager Walter Smith spent almost £10 million on new signings Jörg Albertz, Joachim Björklund and Sebastián Rozental.
Due to the mounting injuries in the second half of the season, striker Mark Hateley briefly returned to the club from Queens Park Rangers. Manchester City goalkeeper Andy Dibble joined on a free transfer as cover for the injured Andy Goram.

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Name | From | Fee |
| 28 June 1996 | Jörg Albertz | Hamburg | £4,000,000 |
| 5 July 1996 | Joachim Björklund | Vicenza | £2,000,000 |
| 13 December 1996 | Sebastián Rozental | Universidad Catolica | £3,500,000 |
| 10 March 1997 | Andy Dibble | Manchester City | Free |
| 14 March 1997 | Mark Hateley | Queens Park Rangers | £300,000 |

### Out

| Date | Name | From | Fee |
| 15 May 1996 | Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko | Retired | Retired |
| 15 May 1996 | Billy Thomson | Dundee | Free |
| 31 May 1996 | Colin Scott | Hamilton Academical | Free |
| 31 May 1996 | John Morrow | Oldham Athletic | Free |
| 5 February 1997 | Neil Murray | FC Sion | £200,000 |
* Expenditure: £9,800,000
* Income: £200,000
* Total loss/gain: £9,600,000

## Results

All results are written with Rangers' score first.

### Scottish Premier Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 10 August 1996 | Raith Rovers | H | 1–0 | 46,221 | Steven |
| 17 August 1996 | Dunfermline Athletic | A | 5–2 | 16,782 | McCoist (3, 1 (pen.)), Van Vossen (2) |
| 24 August 1996 | Dundee United | H | 1–0 | 48,285 | Gascoigne |
| 7 September 1996 | Motherwell | A | 1–0 | 12,288 | Gough |
| 14 September 1996 | Heart of Midlothian | H | 3–0 | 47,240 | Durie, Gascoigne, McCoist |
| 21 September 1996 | Kilmarnock | A | 4–1 | 14,812 | Gascoigne (2, 1 (pen.)), Van Vossen (2) |
| 28 September 1996 | Celtic | H | 2–0 | 50,124 | Gough, Gascoigne |
| 12 October 1996 | Hibernian | A | 1–2 | 12,436 | Albertz |
| 19 October 1996 | Aberdeen | H | 2–2 | 50,076 | Gascoigne, Laudrup (pen.) |
| 26 October 1996 | Motherwell | H | 5–0 | 48,160 | Gascoigne (3), Laudrup (2) |
| 2 November 1996 | Raith Rovers | A | 2–2 | 9,722 | Van Vossen, McCoist |
| 14 November 1996 | Celtic | A | 1–0 | 50,009 | Laudrup |
| 1 December 1996 | Aberdeen | A | 3–0 | 19,168 | Robertson, Laudrup, Miller |
| 7 December 1996 | Hibernian | H | 4–3 | 48,053 | McCoist (2), Ian Ferguson, Laudrup |
| 10 December 1996 | Dundee United | A | 0–1 | 12,417 | |
| 14 December 1996 | Dunfermline Athletic | H | 3–1 | 45,878 | McCoist, Gough, Andersen |
| 17 December 1996 | Kilmarnock | H | 4–2 | 39,469 | Andersen (3), Robertson |
| 21 December 1996 | Heart of Midlothian | A | 4–1 | 15,139 | Robertson, Laudrup, Albertz (pen.), Gascoigne |
| 28 December 1996 | Raith Rovers | H | 4–0 | 48,322 | Gough, Gascoigne, Albertz, McCoist |
| 2 January 1997 | Celtic | H | 3–1 | 50,019 | Andersen (2), Albertz |
| 4 January 1997 | Hibernian | A | 2–1 | 12,650 | Andersen, Albertz (pen.) |
| 12 January 1997 | Aberdeen | H | 4–0 | 47,509 | Andersen (2), Albertz (pen.), Laudrup |
| 15 January 1997 | Kilmarnock | A | 1–1 | 15,662 | Gascoigne |
| 18 January 1997 | Motherwell | A | 3–1 | 13,166 | Albertz, Laudrup, Gascoigne |
| 1 February 1997 | Heart of Midlothian | H | 0–0 | 50,024 | |
| 8 February 1997 | Dunfermline Athletic | A | 3–0 | 16,153 | Durie, Albertz, Laudrup |
| 23 February 1997 | Hibernian | H | 3–1 | 47,618 | Gough, Albertz, Laudrup |
| 1 March 1997 | Aberdeen | A | 2–2 | 16,331 | Laudrup, Moore |
| 12 March 1997 | Dundee United | H | 0–2 | 50,002 | |
| 16 March 1997 | Celtic | A | 1–0 | 49,733 | Laudrup |
| 22 March 1997 | Kilmarnock | H | 1–2 | 50,036 | Durie |
| 5 April 1997 | Dunfermline Athletic | H | 4–0 | 50,098 | Albertz, Petric, Laudrup, Hateley |
| 15 April 1997 | Raith Rovers | A | 6–0 | 9,745 | Durie (2), Petric, Robertson, Laudrup, McCoist |
| 5 May 1997 | Motherwell | H | 0–2 | 50,059 | |
| 7 May 1997 | Dundee United | A | 1–0 | 12,180 | Laudrup |
| 10 May 1997 | Heart of Midlothian | A | 1–3 | 13,097 | McInnes |

### Scottish League Cup

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 14 August 1996 | R2 | Clydebank | A | 3–0 | 7,450 | Van Vossen (2), McCoist |
| 4 September 1996 | R3 | Ayr United | H | 3–1 | 44,732 | Albertz, Gascoigne, McInnes |
| 17 September 1996 | QF | Hibernian | H | 4–0 | 45,104 | Van Vossen (2), Durie, Albertz |
| 22 October 1996 | SF | Dunfermline Athletic | N | 6–1 | 16,791 | Laudrup (2), Andersen (2), McInnes, Albertz |
| 24 November 1996 | F | Heart of Midlothian | N | 4–3 | 48,559 | McCoist (2), Gascoigne (2) |

### Scottish Cup

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 25 January 1997 | R3 | St Johnstone | H | 2–0 | 45,037 | Andersen, Rozental |
| 15 February 1997 | R4 | East Fife | H | 3–0 | 41,064 | Robertson, Steven, McCoist |
| 6 March 1997 | QF | Celtic | A | 0–2 | 49,284 | |

### UEFA Champions League

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 7 August 1996 | QR | Alania Vladikavkaz | H | 3–1 | 44,799 | McInnes, McCoist, Petric |
| 21 August 1996 | QR | Alania Vladikavkaz | A | 7–2 | 32,000 | McCoist (3), Laudrup (2), Van Vossen, Miller |
| 11 September 1996 | GS | Grasshopper | A | 0–3 | 20,030 | |
| 25 September 1996 | GS | Auxerre | H | 1–2 | 37,344 | Gascoigne |
| 16 October 1996 | GS | Ajax | A | 1–4 | 47,000 | Durrant |
| 30 October 1996 | GS | Ajax | H | 0–1 | 42,265 | |
| 20 November 1996 | GS | Grasshopper | H | 2–1 | 34,192 | McCoist (2, 1 (pen.)) |
| 4 December 1996 | GS | Auxerre | A | 1–2 | 21,300 | Gough |

## Appearances

| Player | Position | Appearances | Goals |
| Andy Dibble | GK | 7 | 0 |
| Andy Goram | GK | 38 | 0 |
| Theo Snelders | GK | 7 | 0 |
| Joachim Björklund | DF | 40 | 0 |
| Alec Cleland | DF | 45 | 0 |
| Richard Gough | DF | 41 | 6 |
| Alan McLaren | DF | 20 | 0 |
| Craig Moore | DF | 31 | 1 |
| Gordan Petric | DF | 40 | 3 |
| David Robertson | DF | 30 | 5 |
| Greg Shields | DF | 10 | 0 |
| Scott Wilson | DF | 4 | 0 |
| Stephen Wright | DF | 2 | 0 |
| Jorg Albertz | MF | 47 | 13 |
| Steven Boyack | MF | 1 | 0 |
| Ian Durrant | MF | 16 | 1 |
| Barry Ferguson | MF | 1 | 0 |
| Ian Ferguson | MF | 31 | 1 |
| Paul Gascoigne | MF | 34 | 17 |
| Brian Laudrup | MF | 43 | 20 |
| Stuart McCall | MF | 13 | 0 |
| Brian McGinty | MF | 1 | 0 |
| Derek McInnes | MF | 33 | 4 |
| Charlie Miller | MF | 21 | 2 |
| Trevor Steven | MF | 10 | 2 |
| Erik Bo Andersen | FW | 25 | 12 |
| Gordon Durie | FW | 24 | 6 |
| Darren Fitzgerald | FW | 1 | 0 |
| Mark Hateley | FW | 4 | 1 |
| Ally McCoist | FW | 37 | 20 |
| Paul McKnight | FW | 1 | 0 |
| Sebastián Rozental | FW | 2 | 1 |
| Peter van Vossen | FW | 26 | 9 |

## Competitions
### Overall

| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| Scottish Premier Division | 10 August | 10 May | | Winners | 36 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 85 | 33 | +52 | 069.44 |
| UEFA Champions League | 7 August | 4 December | Qualifying round | Group stage | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 16 | −1 | 037.50 |
| Scottish Cup | 25 January | 6 March | Third round | Quarter-finals | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 066.67 |
| League Cup | 14 August | 24 November | Second round | Winners | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 | +15 | 100.00 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 52 | 35 | 5 | 12 | 125 | 56 | +69 | 067.31 |
Source: Competitions

### Scottish Premier Division

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Rangers (C) | 36 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 85 | 33 | +52 | 80 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Celtic | 36 | 23 | 6 | 7 | 78 | 32 | +46 | 75 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first qualifying round |
| 3 | Dundee United | 36 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 46 | 33 | +13 | 60 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first qualifying round |
| 4 | Heart of Midlothian | 36 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 46 | 43 | +3 | 52 | |
| 5 | Dunfermline Athletic | 36 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 52 | 65 | −13 | 45 | |
* ↑ As the League Cup winners Rangers had qualified for European competition via their league position, the place in the UEFA Cup was passed to the next highest placed team in the league, Dundee United.

### UEFA Champions League

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AUX | AJX | GRA | RAN |
| 1 | Auxerre | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Ajax | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–2 | — | 0–1 | 4–1 |
| 3 | Grasshopper | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 9 | | 3–1 | 0–1 | — | 3–0 |
| 4 | Rangers | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 13 | −8 | 3 | | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | — |