|
 The Scottish League had been formed for the 1890-91
season,
with Rangers as founder members. They were League Champions for four successive
seasons from 1898-99 to 1901-02, but Jimmy’s three seasons with the Club after
his move from Maryhill saw
Celtic take the Championship each time.
1905-06
Jimmy’s debut in the Scottish League (Division One) came on
25 September 1905 at Ibrox, when Rangers crashed to a 5-0 defeat by Hearts. In
the following League match, on 7 October, Jimmy scored his first goal for
Rangers in a 4-1 win at Port Glasgow. Jimmy played in 18 games in the League
that season, netting 6 goals.
The Scottish FA Cup began at Barrhead for Rangers, with a comprehensive
7-1 away win at Second Division Arthurlie - with Jimmy bagging a hat-trick –
his first recorded hat-trick in senior football. However, the Cup run ended in
disappointment with a surprising 1-0 defeat at Clune Park against struggling Port Glasgow, in the
quarter-final.
There was no success in the Glasgow Cup either, with Rangers
losing at Cathkin Park in a semi-final replay to Third Lanark (who had finished just below them in
the league) despite a goal from Jimmy Speirs.
 However,
there was joy in the Glasgow Merchants’ Charity Cup. Jimmy scored twice in
Rangers’ 5-3 win over Celtic in the semi-final, and then a further two in the
final against Queens Park. This therefore provided Jimmy with his only medal
(see left and right, click on thumbnails to enlarge) for the season, and – as it turned out – of his time
with Rangers.
In addition to games in the Scottish League, Scottish FA Cup,
Glasgow Cup, Glasgow Merchants’ Charity Cup and Glasgow League, Jimmy also
played in at least one "other" game – against Blackburn Rovers on
Christmas Day 1905. Before an attendance of 16,000 in Lancashire, Jimmy scored
Rangers’ only goal in a 4-1 defeat by the English First Division club.
Glasgow Rangers - Scottish League
(Division One) record 1905-06
| |
|
|
|
Goals |
|
|
|
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
For |
Against |
Points |
Position |
|
30 |
15 |
7 |
8 |
58 |
48 |
37 |
4th |
Jimmy’s appearances/goals summary
– 1905-06
|
Competition |
Appearances |
Goals |
|
Scottish League Division One |
18 |
6 |
|
Scottish FA Cup |
3 |
3 |
|
Glasgow Cup |
1 |
1 |
|
Glasgow Merchants’ Charity
Cup |
2 |
4 |
|
Glasgow League |
4 |
2 |
|
Other matches |
1 |
1 |
Jimmy’s Speirs’ playing record
at Rangers (1905-06):-
|
Date |
Opponents |
Competition |
Venue |
Result |
Score |
Attendance |
Goals scored
by Jimmy |
|
1905 25
Sept |
Hearts |
SL |
H |
L |
0-5 |
18,000 |
- |
|
30 Sep |
Third Lanark |
GC-SF |
A |
L |
1-3 |
12,000 |
1 |
|
7 Oct |
Port Glasgow |
SL |
A |
W |
4-1 |
3,000 |
1 |
|
14 Oct |
Dundee |
SL |
H |
D |
1-1 |
9,500 |
- |
|
21 Oct |
Celtic |
SL |
H |
W |
3-2 |
30,000 |
- |
|
28 Oct |
Falkirk |
SL |
A |
W |
6-1 |
6,000 |
- |
|
4 Nov |
Queens Park |
SL |
A |
W |
2-1 |
13,000 |
1 |
|
11 Nov |
Third Lanark |
SL |
H |
L |
2-4 |
10,000 |
- |
|
18 Nov |
Motherwell |
SL |
A |
D |
3-3 |
5,000 |
- |
|
25 Nov |
Morton |
SL |
H |
L |
1-2 |
4,000 |
- |
|
9 Dec |
Morton |
SL |
A |
W |
3-0 |
5,000 |
1 |
|
23 Dec |
Motherwell |
SL |
H |
W |
2-1 |
6,000 |
- |
|
25 Dec |
Blackburn Rov |
Other |
A |
L |
1-4 |
16,000 |
1 |
|
30 Dec |
Airdrieonians |
SL |
H |
L |
1-3 |
8,000 |
1 |
|
1906 13
Jan |
St Mirren |
SL |
A |
L |
2-3 |
|
- |
|
20 Jan |
Port Glasgow |
SL |
H |
W |
4-0 |
8,000 |
- |
|
27 Jan |
Arthurlie |
SC Rd
1 |
A |
W |
7-1 |
6,000 |
3 |
|
10 Feb |
Aberdeen |
SC Rd
2 |
A |
W |
3-2 |
14,000 |
- |
|
3 Mar |
Hibernian |
SL |
H |
D |
1-1 |
7,000 |
- |
|
10 Mar |
Port Glasgow |
SC Qtr
Fin |
A |
L |
0-1 |
11,000 |
- |
|
17 Mar |
Partick Thistle |
SL |
A |
D |
1-1 |
8,000 |
1 |
|
21 Mar |
Third Lanark |
GL |
H |
L |
0-2 |
2,000 |
- |
|
24 Mar |
Falkirk |
SL |
H |
W |
3-1 |
7,000 |
- |
|
31 Mar |
Celtic |
GL |
A |
W |
3-0 |
12,000 |
2 |
|
7 Apr |
Hearts |
SL |
A |
D |
2-2 |
6,000 |
1 |
|
16 Apr |
Partick Thistle |
GL |
H |
W |
1-0 |
2,000 |
- |
|
1 May |
Queens Park |
GL |
A |
W |
3-0 |
1,500 |
- |
|
5 May |
Celtic |
GCC SF |
A |
W |
5-3 |
|
2 |
|
12 May |
Queens Park |
GCC Final |
A |
W |
3-2 |
25,000 |
2 |
|
SL – Scottish League
Division One SC –
Scottish F A Cup GC
– Glasgow Cup GCC
– Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup GL
– Glasgow League |
1906-07
 Ultimately,
another disappointing season for Rangers. Although they improved to third in the
League, they were ten points adrift of champions Celtic, and three points behind
Dundee. Celtic rubbed it in by knocking Rangers out of the Scottish FA Cup at
Ibrox by three goals to nil, before a gate of 60,000 on 9 March 1907 – by far
the largest before which Jimmy Speirs had played up to that point.
There was no success in the Glasgow Cup (beaten in a replay
by Queens Park at Ibrox by 3-0, after a 2-2 draw at Hampden Park), but Rangers did retain the Glasgow Merchants’ Charity Cup
after beating Celtic in the final. Jimmy Speirs did not appear in the
"Charity Cup", however, so was not able to add a medal to that won in
the previous season in this competition.
Jimmy’s 13 league goals during the season placed him as
joint top scorer, with Kyle.
Glasgow Rangers - Scottish League
(Division One) record 1906-07
| |
|
|
|
Goals |
|
|
|
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
For |
Against |
Points |
Position |
|
34 |
19 |
7 |
8 |
69 |
33 |
45 |
3rd |
Jimmy Speirs’ appearances/goals
summary – 1906-07
|
Competition |
Appearances |
Goals |
|
Scottish League Division
One |
22 |
13 |
|
Scottish FA Cup |
3 |
1 |
|
Glasgow Cup |
2 |
1 |
|
Other matches |
5 |
1 |
Jimmy’s Speirs’ playing
record at Rangers (1906-07):-
|
Date |
Opponents |
Competition |
Venue |
Result |
Score |
Attendance |
Goals
scored by Jimmy |
|
1906 18
Aug |
Falkirk |
SL |
H |
D |
2-2 |
13,000 |
1 |
|
25 Aug |
Port Glasgow |
SL |
A |
W |
2-0 |
8,000 |
- |
|
1 Sep |
Aberdeen |
SL |
H |
W |
6-2 |
10,000 |
1 |
|
8 Sep |
Queens Park |
GC Rd
1 |
A |
D |
2-2 |
28,000 |
1 |
|
15 Sep |
Queens Park |
GC Replay |
H |
L |
0-3 |
26,000 |
- |
|
13 Oct |
Kilmarnock |
SL |
A |
W |
5-1 |
7,000 |
2 |
|
20 Oct |
Morton |
SL |
H |
W |
2-0 |
9,000 |
1 |
|
27 Oct |
Celtic |
SL |
A |
L |
1-2 |
30,000 |
- |
|
3 Nov |
St Mirren |
SL |
H |
D |
1-1 |
12,000 |
- |
|
10 Nov |
Third Lanark |
SL |
A |
W |
2-0 |
16,000 |
- |
|
1 Dec |
Airdrieonians |
SL |
H |
W |
2-1 |
13,000 |
1 |
|
6 Dec |
Clyde |
SL |
A |
W |
5-1 |
|
1 |
|
15 Dec |
Motherwell |
SL |
H |
L |
0-1 |
5,000 |
- |
|
22 Dec |
Aberdeen |
SL |
A |
W |
3-0 |
7,000 |
- |
|
29 Dec |
Hamilton Acc |
SL |
H |
L |
0-1 |
5,000 |
- |
|
1907 2
Jan |
Partick Thistle |
SL |
A |
D |
2-2 |
7,000 |
- |
|
5 Jan |
Morton |
SL |
A |
L |
1-2 |
5,000 |
1 |
|
12 Jan |
Hibernian |
SL |
H |
W |
1-0 |
7,000 |
1 |
|
19 Jan |
Airdrieonians |
SL |
A |
W |
3-2 |
8,000 |
1 |
|
26 Jan |
Falkirk |
SC Rd
1 |
A |
W |
2-1 |
16,000 |
- |
|
2 Feb |
Third Lanark |
SL |
H |
D |
0-0 |
10,000 |
- |
|
9 Feb |
Hamilton Acc |
SL |
A |
W |
3-0 |
6,000 |
2 |
|
16 Feb |
Galston |
SC Rd
2 |
A |
W |
4-0 |
4,000 |
1 |
|
23 Feb |
St Mirren |
SL |
A |
D |
0-0 |
7,000 |
- |
|
2 Mar |
Motherwell |
SL |
A |
L |
0-1 |
5,000 |
- |
|
9 Mar |
Celtic |
SC Rd
3 |
H |
L |
0-3 |
60,000 |
- |
|
20 Apr |
Kilmarnock |
SL |
H |
W |
3-0 |
2,500 |
1 |
|
SL – Scottish League
Division One SC –
Scottish F A Cup GC
– Glasgow Cup |
1907-08
 Again, Rangers finished third in the league – but this
time just five points behind champions (again) Celtic, and one point behind
Falkirk. They exited the Scottish Cup at the second round stage, beaten (again)
by Celtic at Ibrox Park.
The 1907-8 squad pose for the
camera (click on thumbnail to enlarge)
Rangers took the "auld enemy" to two replays in the
final of the Glasgow Cup….but lost the third game. The three matches – all
at Hampden – attracted gates of 81,000, 52,000 and 56,000.
Such attendances helped Rangers to enjoy its most lucrative
season to date financially - gross gate receipts totalling Ł14,076 for the
season.
On the field, however, there was not even the consolation of the Glasgow Merchants’
Charity Cup – the holders for the previous two seasons were beaten by Queens
Park in the semi-final.
"Speirs scores with a curly
one" (click to enlarge)
Jimmy Speirs did not appear in the league until the end of
November, and played only 13 league games during the season (none of which were
lost), scoring five times. Although this was Jimmy's last season with Rangers
prior to moving to Clyde, it was notable season for
Jimmy, with the birth of his son (see Early Years
and Family) being followed by international and
representative honours.
A Scottish international….
On 7 March 1908, Jimmy Speirs was awarded his only
international cap when he represented Scotland in the British Championship
game
against Wales at Dens Park, Dundee. The Scots won the game by two goals to one,
before a crowd of 18,000, but Jimmy was not on the scoresheet that day.
Jimmy's International Cap -
Scotland v Wales, 1908 (click to enlarge)
….and Glasgow representative honours
 On 18 March 1908, Jimmy represented Glasgow in a long-established
Inter-City fixture with Sheffield. The game resulted in a 2-2 draw, with Jimmy
scoring the second Glasgow goal. A crowd of 5,000 witnessed
the proceedings, which were brought to an abrupt end some 15 or 20 minutes
early, due to darkness! It seems that Jimmy received a cap for his
appearance - his family have a cap "G v S, 1908", which presumably
relates to this match (right, click to view).
The Glasgow Evening Times reported the game (click on
thumbnail to
enlarge)
(Reproduced with the permission
of the Evening Times (Glasgow), © Newsquest Media Group)
Glasgow Rangers - Scottish League
(Division One) record 1907-08
| |
|
|
|
Goals |
|
|
|
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
For |
Against |
Points |
Position |
|
34 |
21 |
8 |
5 |
74 |
40 |
50 |
3rd |
Jimmy Speirs’ appearances/goals
summary – 1907-08
|
Competition |
Appearances |
Goals |
|
Scottish League Division
One |
13 |
5 |
|
Scottish FA Cup |
3 | |
