PartickThistle

History beckons for Rangers - but they have become the best in Britain to match the steel of The Iron Curtain

21-Aug-2020 05:10:00 | Herald Scotland

IF Kilmarnock have failed to score when the referee blows the final whistle at the end of the Premiership match at Ibrox early tomorrow evening, Rangers will have made a little piece of history. James Tavernier and his fellow defenders will have gone their first five league games of the season without conceding a single goal – one more than their illustrious predecessors managed way back at the start of the 1949/50 campaign. They will, though, be doing very well to surpass the achievements of a renowned and revered rearguard that became known as the Iron Curtain going forward.  Goalkeeper Bobby Brown, full backs George Young and Jock Shaw, centre half Willie Woodburn and wing backs Ian McColl and Sammy Cox helped to make Rangers the dominant team in Scotland during that halcyon era and win titles and trophies aplenty. But for many knowledgeable judges, they were the outstanding side in the entire United Kingdom and one of the best in the whole of Europe at that time. The formidable sextet helped Bill Struth’s team to keep four consecutive clean sheets – they beat Partick Thistle 2-0, Celtic 4-0, Falkirk 2-0 and Hearts 1-0 - after the league got up and running 71 years ago. They picked the ball out of their net for the first time that term at the end of October when Aberdeen bagged a late consolation goal in a 3-1 victory at Pittodrie - nearly seven weeks after the season had kicked off and after more than seven hours of competitive action.David Mason, the official Rangers historian and the author of numerous books about his beloved Ibrox club, has been pleased to see Steven Gerrard’s backline performing so well in recent weeks. But he knows they have some way to go before they can match the achievements of their famous forebears.    “Rangers were renowned for the quality of their defenders after Second World War in the late 1940s and that continued into the 1950s as well,” said Mason. “They were known as the Iron Curtain. They played together for a long time and became a real unit that didn’t change too much. “They were just formidable guys. George Young was a man mountain. His attitude to opposition players whenever he took to the field was ‘you shall not pass’. George eventually moved to right back to accommodate Willie Woodburn, another great centre back. “But they were all resolute. There was Jock Shaw and Sammy Cox as well. They had a string of great defenders who all represented Scotland. They accumulated a lot of caps for their country as well.” He added: “Defenders were different in those days. Their principle role was just to defend. George Young was a solid centre half and then latterly full back. But he wasn’t the classiest player on the ball. Clearing your lines was what it was all about. “Woodburn was slightly different. He played in a role that would eventually become known as sweeper. He was silkier, more cultured. But what he and all of his fellow defenders had was an in-built determination to win at all costs. They were fierce individuals. “That, of course, ended up costing Woodburn his career (he was banned sine die by the SFA in 1949 after being sent off). But even when things weren’t going well for them up front they still had players who could keep a clean sheet.  “I think that is very much where we are at the moment as well. We are keeping clean sheets, but maybe aren’t firing on all cylinders in attack. But you can’t compare the teams. Rangers were the dominant team in Scotland in the 1940s. “There were no tactics given to the players either. Their manager Bill Struth once said ‘I pick the best XI, after that it is up to them to perform’. There was a great reliance on the captain, on Jock Shaw or George Young, to work out what was happening, identify the dangerous players and deal with the treat they posed. “Today’s guys are completely different in that regard. They are working to systems and a lot of thought and preparation goes into the tactics. In the Iron Curtain’s days, the players just sorted it out themselves.”  Perhaps the Iron Curtain’s greatest accomplishment came in 1949 when Rangers became the first side ever to complete a clean sweep of domestic silverware - the Scottish title, League Cup and Scottish Cup – in the same season.“They won the first treble,” said Mason “The League Cup only came along in 1946. We probably would have done the treble earlier than that if we had had the chance.“But it was a different achievement then. Now, there is really only Rangers and Celtic that can win the league. But back then Hibs were, with their Famous Five forward line, a great side. Then there was Celtic, Dundee were an emerging team. There were far more quality teams around. It was a great treble to win.” Continental club competitions were only introduced in 1955 with the inauguration of the European Cup. Rangers played in that tournament for the first time the following year. However, the Iron Curtain defence still showed they were more than a match for the best foreign sides and could have competed in any company. “Rangers played Moscow Dynamo when the Russian team came to Britain in 1945,” said Mason. “The tour was as political as it was sporting. But everybody was very interested to see them. They hammered Cardiff City, drew with Chelsea and then defeated Arsenal, even though their opponents had drafted in some outstanding players from other sides.“In their last match they came up to Glasgow and played Rangers. There were around 100,000 at Ibrox and the game was played on a Wednesday afternoon. There weren’t a lot of travelling teams at that time and there was a lot of interest in them after the war. “Moscow went 2-0 up. They were a very tough team, a great side. But Rangers pulled them back to 2-2 and should have won it. That underlined they were probably the pre-eminent team in the United Kingdom at that time.”