THE Battle of Britain, as Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously described it during a speech in the House of Commons, in 1940 saw Germany suffer their first major defeat of the Second World War and is considered by military historians to be a crucial turning point in that conflict.
The outcome of the football matches between Scottish and English sides which have been given the same moniker since European club competitions started in 1955 have always been hugely important to the combatants, those from this country especially, too.
There is little sweeter for the players, managers and supporters of teams here than triumphing over opponents from down south. There is a sneering disdain for the game north of the border among those who occupy the stands and work in commentary boxes. Victories silence the snipers.
The first competitive encounter between teams from either side of Hadrian’s Wall came in the European Cup Winners’ Cup way back in 1961 when Rangers defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 on aggregate to book their place in their first ever European final.
Wolves may be a mid-table Premier League side these days. But at that time they were a major force in the English game. The side managed by Stan Cullis won the First Division title three times in six years in the 1950s. They had lifted the FA Cup, a far more significant achievement then than it is today, the previous season.
Jimmy Millar was missing due to injury and centre half Doug Baillie had to deputise for his team mate at centre forward. But goals from Alex Scott and Ralph Brand in front of a crowd of 79,229 at Ibrox secured a 2-0 triumph in the first leg. Scott opened the scoring in a 1-1 draw at Molineux three weeks later.
Davie Wilson, the Rangers great who performed, as he invariably did, superbly in both of those showdowns, recalled in his autobiography Wilson on the Wing that Scot Symon’s side had not been expected to prevail even in that less commercial age. “The financial divide between English and Scottish sides was apparent,” he wrote.
More famous wins have followed against all the odds in the decades since. Celtic’s historic success in the European Cup final in 1967 is the greatest result in their history and will never be surpassed. But their victory over Leeds United in the semi-final of the same competition three years later is a close second.
The Scottish champions edged out their feared and formidable English counterparts 1-0 in the first leg at Elland Road thanks to a George Connelly goal after just 40 seconds. An attendance of 136,505, a record for a UEFA competition, crammed into Hampden to watch the return leg after it was moved from Parkhead to accommodate the crowd.
Billy Bremner gave the visitors the lead against the run of play in the first-half. But John Hughes and Bobby Murdoch scored early in the second to seal a deserved 2-1 win and a 3-1 aggregate triumph for Jock Stein’s charges.
A Leeds side that comprised John Lukic, Eric Cantona, David Batty, Gary McAllister and Gary Speed stood between Rangers and the group stages of the inaugural Champions League back in 1992. Walter Smith’s side won 2-1 home and away to go through. It was one of the finest accomplishments of their halcyon Nine-In-A-Row era.
Other clubs have had their Battle of Britain moments in Europe too; Dunfermline beat Everton in the first round of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1962 and West Bromwich Albion in the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1969 while Aberdeen overcame Ipswich Town in the first round of the UEFA Cup in 1981.
In modern times, Celtic have beaten Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool (2002/03 UEFA Cup) as well as Manchester United (2006/07 Champions League). But there have been no victories since Shunsuke Nakamura curled in a long-range free-kick in that latter match to send Gordon Strachan’s team through to the knockout rounds 16 years ago.
Can Rangers pull off an upset against Liverpool in their third Champions League group game at Anfield on Tuesday evening? It will, given their recent form and far smaller budget, be a huge shock if Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side can get the better of Jurgen Klopp’s team on Merseyside.
But it is maybe more critical now than ever before that they do so.
A new four year television deal with Sky Sports worth £150m was celebrated by the SPFL this week. That is small change to the Premier League. They announced a £4.8bn agreement with Amazon, BT and Sky last year. The gulf in spending power has long existed, but it has never been greater. The challenges that creates, not least in the transfer market, are considerable.
When Scottish clubs give their English adversaries a bloody nose in Europe it sticks two fingers up at those who rather snootily consider this nation to be a football backwater and increases the regard a league which has so much to commend it, not least genuine fans who are passionate about their teams, is held in.
