Gascoigne headed to Rangers in the summer of 1995, signed by then manager, the legendary Walter Smith. The three years he spent in Glasgow lit up Scottish football. At least for Gers fans, it did! But can those glory days return anytime soon?
ON THIS DAY: In '95, #RFC signed England international Paul 'Gazza' Gascoigne from @officialsslazio. pic.twitter.com/CCoNozhL
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) July 10, 2013
Can Rangers ever return to the Glory Days of Gazza-Inspired Domination?
At the time, Rangers were dominant, these days things aren’t so one-sided. This is best shown in the latest football betting odds. This season, the Gers are 5/4 to win the 2022/23 Scottish Premier League title. Back in the 90s when Gazza was around if you were to bet on football, the odds of Rangers winning the Scottish league title would have been far shorter than that.
Still, betting on the Gers to win the title these days is better value if nothing else. Plenty of tipsters are tipping them to do well this season, and these are football tips from industry experts in Scottish football.
Sadly no Paul Gascoignes are playing for Rangers these days. And if there were, Rangers would no doubt have to sell the player to survive. Whereas back in 1995 when Walter Smith brought the midfielder back from Italy, Rangers were a buying club. And unlike what we see with players like Gareth Bale heading to play in the USA in the twilight of his career, Gazza came to Scotland in his prime. He wasn’t finished or over the hill just looking for a payday, Gascoigne was just turned 28 when he arrived in Glasgow.
Hindsight shows he was probably at the backend of his heyday, but that wasn’t known when Walter Smith signed him. Smith was signing a player in his prime. Seeing the manager of a Scottish team heading over to Rome to buy their star player must feel like a distant dream now. But it was one hell of a dream at the time.
Gascoigne’s Greatest Moment In a Rangers Jersey
Gazza "books" ref Dougie Smith after he dropped his card against Hibs, 1995. The ref failed to see the funny side and booked him back! pic.twitter.com/AZUBzBP9m5
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) January 9, 2018
No, it isn’t the time Gazza picked up Dougie Smith’s Yellow Card and brandished it at the embarrassed referee as a means of a joke. Funny as that was, although not to Smith who then stupidly booked Gazza for it, it doesn’t beat the hat-trick Gascoigne scored against Aberdeen at Ibrox to secure the 1995/96 league title.
This was Gazza at his scintillating best. Two of the three goals were individual brilliance, with one coming from a run that started inside his own half. The younger generations of Rangers fans will probably never fully understand what a superstar Gazza was back in the day. But older generations of Gers fans can reminisce on a time when Rangers were a dominant force in British football. If only those days could return sometime soon!