Bill Struth
Encyclopedia
Bill Struth was the second manager of Rangers Football Club
, leading the Club for 34 years between 1920 and 1954, as well as the holder of a number of other positions, including director. Struth is one of the most successful managers in Scottish football history, amassing 18 league championships, 10 Scottish Cup
, 2 League Cups, 7 war-time championships, 19 Glasgow Cups, 17 Glasgow Merchant Charity Cups and a host of other war-time honours.
, Struth was a stonemason by trade, although he was also a professional athlete. He had been a trainer at Clyde
and Hearts
before coming to Rangers in 1914 to take up the position of assistant manager. At the age of 45, in 1920, he took over as manager after his predecessor William Wilton died in a boating accident off Gourock
.
He went on to win the league title 18 times as manager, including the remarkable feat of winning 14 titles in 19 years before the Second World War
. This included winning five titles in a row between 1927 and 1931. Struth's tenure as manager spanned the club's first league and cup double
in 1928, when Rangers famously lifted the Scottish Cup and ended a 25 year 'hoodoo', and its first treble in 1949, Struth becoming the first Scottish manager to achieve this honour.
Struth was renowned as a disciplinarian, insisting that the team wore a collar and tie when turning up for training; bowler hat
s were obligatory for Rangers players.
Adam Little was signed by Struth and this interview gives an insight into his methods.
In 1947, Struth became a Rangers director and was then appointed vice-chairman after retiring in 1954. In 1952 he had part of a leg amputated as a result of gangrene. He died on 21 September 1956, aged 81, and he is buried in Craigton Cemetery, overlooking his beloved Ibrox Park.
In 2005, Rangers' chairman Sir David Murray unveiled a bronze bust
of Bill Struth, located in the Main Stand at Ibrox, now known as the "Bill Struth Main Stand" in honour of his contribution to Rangers Football Club.
trophy room, Bill Struth said:
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, leading the Club for 34 years between 1920 and 1954, as well as the holder of a number of other positions, including director. Struth is one of the most successful managers in Scottish football history, amassing 18 league championships, 10 Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
, 2 League Cups, 7 war-time championships, 19 Glasgow Cups, 17 Glasgow Merchant Charity Cups and a host of other war-time honours.
Career
Born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Struth was a stonemason by trade, although he was also a professional athlete. He had been a trainer at Clyde
Clyde F.C.
Clyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...
and Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
before coming to Rangers in 1914 to take up the position of assistant manager. At the age of 45, in 1920, he took over as manager after his predecessor William Wilton died in a boating accident off Gourock
Gourock
Gourock is a town falling within the Inverclyde council area and formerly forming a burgh of the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It has in the past functioned as a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde...
.
He went on to win the league title 18 times as manager, including the remarkable feat of winning 14 titles in 19 years before the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This included winning five titles in a row between 1927 and 1931. Struth's tenure as manager spanned the club's first league and cup double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
in 1928, when Rangers famously lifted the Scottish Cup and ended a 25 year 'hoodoo', and its first treble in 1949, Struth becoming the first Scottish manager to achieve this honour.
Struth was renowned as a disciplinarian, insisting that the team wore a collar and tie when turning up for training; bowler hat
Bowler hat
The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby , billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the English soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester...
s were obligatory for Rangers players.
Adam Little was signed by Struth and this interview gives an insight into his methods.
In 1947, Struth became a Rangers director and was then appointed vice-chairman after retiring in 1954. In 1952 he had part of a leg amputated as a result of gangrene. He died on 21 September 1956, aged 81, and he is buried in Craigton Cemetery, overlooking his beloved Ibrox Park.
In 2005, Rangers' chairman Sir David Murray unveiled a bronze bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of Bill Struth, located in the Main Stand at Ibrox, now known as the "Bill Struth Main Stand" in honour of his contribution to Rangers Football Club.
Famous quotes
When being presented with the portrait that now hangs in the IbroxIbrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
trophy room, Bill Struth said: