# 1995–96 Rangers F.C. season

The 1995–96 season was the 116th season of competitive football by Rangers.

## Overview

Rangers played a total of 53 competitive matches during the 1995–96 season. The team finished first in the Scottish Premier Division and won its eighth consecutive league title.
In the cup competitions, the team won the Scottish Cup, beating Heart of Midlothian 5–1. Rangers were knocked out the Scottish League Cup by Aberdeen at the semi-final stage, losing 2–1.
The side reached the group stages of the UEFA Champions League this season and were drawn into a group with Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Romanian side Steaua București. After six matches, three draws and three defeats, Rangers were bottom of the table and exited the competition.
Aided by the sale of Duncan Ferguson the previous season, between July and February manager Walter Smith spent nearly £12million on rebuilding his squad by signing the likes of Peter van Vossen, Paul Gascoigne (a then Scottish record signing at £4.3million), Stephen Wright and Gordan Petrić. Basile Boli and Oleg Salenko left the club.
Gascoigne was voted player of the year having scored a total of 19 goals in all competitions.
November saw the departure of Mark Hateley as he returned to England in a £1.5million move to Queen's Park Rangers – the largest fee paid for a 34-year-old at this time. Hateley had lost his place in the first team to Gordon Durie who partnered Ally McCoist after two seasons mostly spent on the sidelines due to injuries.

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Player | From | Fee |
| 5 July 1995 | Stephen Wright | Aberdeen | £1,500,000 |
| 10 July 1995 | Paul Gascoigne | Lazio | £4,300,000 |
| 26 July 1995 | Gordan Petrić | Dundee United | £1,500,000 |
| 28 July 1995 | Oleg Salenko | Valencia | £2,500,000 |
| 13 November 1995 | Derek McInnes | Greenock Morton | £300,000 |
| 16 January 1996 | Peter van Vossen | İstanbulspor | Swap |
| 29 February 1996 | Erik Bo Andersen | Aalborg Bk | £1,200,000 |
| 29 March 1996 | Theo Snelders | Aberdeen | £200,000 |

### Out

| Date | Player | To | Fee |
| 16 June 1995 | Ally Maxwell | Dundee United | £250,000 |
| 15 August 1995 | Basile Boli | AS Monaco | £2,000,000 |
| 25 September 1995 | Mark Hateley | Queens Park Rangers | £1,500,000 |
| 16 January 1996 | Oleg Salenko | İstanbulspor | Swap |
| 11 March 1996 | Brian Reid | Greenock Morton | £150,000 |
* Expenditure: £11,500,000
* Income: £3,900,000
* Total loss/gain: £7,600,000

## Results

All results are written with Rangers' score first.

### Ibrox International Challenge Trophy

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 29 July 1995 | Steaua București | H | 4–0 | | Ferguson, Gascoigne, Hateley, McCoist |
| 30 July 1995 | Sampdoria | H | 2–0 | | Durie, McCoist |

### Scottish Premier Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 26 August 1995 | Kilmarnock | H | 1–0 | 44,686 | McCall |
| 9 September 1995 | Raith Rovers | H | 4–0 | 43,535 | McCoist (2), Miller, Robertson |
| 16 September 1995 | Falkirk | A | 2–0 | 11,445 | Salenko, Robertson |
| 23 September 1995 | Hibernian | H | 0–1 | 44,364 | |
| 30 September 1995 | Celtic | A | 2–0 | 34,500 | Cleland, Gascoigne |
| 3 October 1995 | Motherwell | H | 2–1 | 37,348 | Gascoigne, McCoist |
| 7 October 1995 | Aberdeen | A | 1–0 | 22,500 | Moore |
| 14 October 1995 | Partick Thistle | A | 4–0 | 16,346 | Durie (3), Gough |
| 21 October 1995 | Heart of Midlothian | H | 4–1 | 45,155 | Salenko (2), Gascoigne, Durie |
| 28 October 1995 | Raith Rovers | A | 2–2 | 9,200 | Gough, Petric |
| 4 November 1995 | Falkirk | H | 2–0 | 42,059 | McCoist (2) |
| 8 November 1995 | Kilmarnock | A | 2–0 | 14,823 | McLaren, Salenko |
| 11 November 1995 | Aberdeen | H | 1–1 | 45,427 | Salenko |
| 19 November 1995 | Celtic | H | 3–3 | 46,640 | Laudrup, McCoist, McKinlay (o.g.) |
| 25 November 1995 | Hibernian | A | 4–1 | 13,558 | McCoist, Miller, Durie, Dods (o.g.) |
| 2 December 1995 | Heart of Midlothian | A | 2–0 | 15,105 | McCoist (pen.), Gascoigne |
| 9 December 1995 | Partick Thistle | H | 1–0 | 43,173 | Durie |
| 19 December 1995 | Motherwell | A | 0–0 | 10,179 | |
| 26 December 1995 | Kilmarnock | H | 3–0 | 45,173 | Salenko, Durie (pen.), Gascoigne |
| 30 December 1995 | Hibernian | H | 7–0 | 44,692 | Durie (4), Miller, Gascoigne, Salenko |
| 3 January 1996 | Celtic | A | 0–0 | 37,000 | |
| 6 January 1996 | Falkirk | A | 4–0 | 10,581 | McCoist (2, 1 (pen.)), Durie, Robertson |
| 13 January 1996 | Raith Rovers | H | 4–0 | 42,498 | Durie (2), McCoist, Ferguson |
| 20 January 1996 | Heart of Midlothian | H | 0–3 | 45,096 | |
| 3 February 1996 | Partick Thistle | A | 2–1 | 16,253 | Gascoigne (2) |
| 10 February 1996 | Motherwell | H | 3–2 | 45,566 | Ferguson, McLaren, McCoist (pen.) |
| 25 February 1996 | Aberdeen | A | 1–0 | 21,000 | Gascoigne (pen.) |
| 3 March 1996 | Hibernian | A | 2–0 | 11,954 | Laudrup (pen.), Mitchell (o.g.) |
| 17 March 1996 | Celtic | H | 1–1 | 47,312 | McLaren |
| 23 March 1996 | Falkirk | H | 3–2 | 46,014 | Andersen (2), Gascoigne |
| 30 March 1996 | Raith Rovers | A | 4–2 | 9,300 | McCoist (3, 1 (pen.)), Durie (pen.) |
| 10 April 1996 | Heart of Midlothian | A | 0–2 | 15,350 | |
| 13 April 1996 | Partick Thistle | H | 5–0 | 46,438 | Andersen (3), McCall, Gough |
| 20 April 1996 | Motherwell | A | 3–1 | 13,128 | McCall, Andersen, Gascoigne |
| 28 April 1996 | Aberdeen | H | 3–1 | 47,247 | Gascoigne (3, 1 (pen.)) |
| 4 May 1996 | Kilmarnock | A | 3–0 | 17,056 | Durie (2), McCoist |

### Scottish League Cup

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 19 August 1995 | R2 | Greenock Morton | H | 3–0 | 42,941 | McCoist, Hateley, Gascoigne |
| 30 August 1995 | R3 | Stirling Albion | H | 3–2 | 46,686 | Hateley, McCall, McCoist |
| 19 September 1995 | QF | Celtic | A | 1–0 | 32,789 | McCoist |
| 24 October 1995 | SF | Aberdeen | N | 1–2 | 26,131 | Salenko |

### Scottish Cup

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 27 January 1996 | R3 | Keith | N | 10–1 | 15,461 | Ferguson (3), Cleland (3), Durie (pen.), Robertson, Miller, Mikhailichenko |
| 15 February 1996 | R4 | Clyde | A | 4–1 | 5,722 | Miller (2), Van Vossen, Gascoigne |
| 9 March 1996 | QF | Caledonian Thistle | N | 3–0 | 11,296 | Gascoigne (2), Thomson (o.g.) |
| 7 April 1996 | SF | Celtic | N | 2–1 | 36,333 | McCoist, Laudrup |
| 18 May 1996 | F | Heart of Midlothian | N | 5–1 | 37,760 | Durie (3), Laudrup (2) |

### UEFA Champions League

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 9 August 1995 | QR | Anorthosis Famagusta | H | 1–0 | 43,519 | Durie |
| 23 August 1995 | QR | Anorthosis Famagusta | A | 0–0 | 12,000 | |
| 13 September 1995 | GS | Steaua Bucharest | A | 0–1 | 26,000 | |
| 27 September 1995 | GS | Borussia Dortmund | H | 2–2 | 33,209 | Gough, Ferguson |
| 18 October 1995 | GS | Juventus | A | 1–4 | 49,825 | Gough |
| 1 November 1995 | GS | Juventus | H | 0–4 | 42,523 | |
| 22 November 1995 | GS | Steaua Bucharest | H | 1–1 | 30,800 | Gascoigne |
| 6 December 1995 | GS | Borussia Dortmund | A | 2–2 | 35,800 | Laudrup, Durie |

## Appearances

| Player | Position | Appearances | Goals |
| Andy Goram | GK | 47 | 0 |
| Colin Scott | GK | 3 | 0 |
| Theo Snelders | GK | 2 | 0 |
| Billy Thomson | GK | 2 | 0 |
| Alec Cleland | DF | 36 | 4 |
| Gary Bollan | DF | 7 | 0 |
| John Brown | DF | 22 | 0 |
| Richard Gough | DF | 42 | 5 |
| Alan McLaren | DF | 49 | 3 |
| Craig Moore | DF | 16 | 1 |
| Gordan Petrić | DF | 46 | 1 |
| David Robertson | DF | 38 | 3 |
| Brian Reid | DF | 1 | 0 |
| Greg Shields | DF | 1 | 0 |
| Stephen Wright | DF | 16 | 0 |
| Ian Durrant | MF | 26 | 0 |
| Ian Ferguson | MF | 25 | 6 |
| Paul Gascoigne | MF | 42 | 19 |
| Brian Laudrup | MF | 33 | 6 |
| Stuart McCall | MF | 33 | 4 |
| Brian McGinty | MF | 2 | 0 |
| Derek McInnes | MF | 6 | 0 |
| Charlie Miller | MF | 36 | 3 |
| Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko | MF | 15 | 1 |
| Neil Murray | MF | 9 | 0 |
| Trevor Steven | MF | 7 | 0 |
| Erik Bo Andersen | FW | 6 | 6 |
| Gordon Durie | FW | 38 | 23 |
| Mark Hateley | FW | 4 | 2 |
| Ally McCoist | FW | 37 | 20 |
| Oleg Salenko | FW | 20 | 8 |
| Peter van Vossen | FW | 9 | 1 |

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Rangers (C) | 36 | 27 | 6 | 3 | 85 | 25 | +60 | 87 | Qualification for the Champions League qualifying round |
| 2 | Celtic | 36 | 24 | 11 | 1 | 74 | 25 | +49 | 83 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup qualifying round |
| 3 | Aberdeen | 36 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 52 | 45 | +7 | 55 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup qualifying round |
| 4 | Heart of Midlothian | 36 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 55 | 53 | +2 | 55 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup qualifying round |
| 5 | Hibernian | 36 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 43 | |
* ↑ Aberdeen qualified for the UEFA Cup by winning the League Cup.
* ↑ As Rangers, the winners of the Scottish Cup, qualified for the Champions League via their league position, the place in the Cup Winners' Cup was passed to the cup runner-up, Heart of Midlothian.

## Champions league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JUV | DOR | STE | RAN |
| 1 | Juventus | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–2 | 3–0 | 4–1 |
| 2 | Borussia Dortmund | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–3 | — | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| 3 | Steaua București | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 6 | | 0–0 | 0–0 | — | 1–0 |
| 4 | Rangers | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 14 | −8 | 3 | | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — |