The 2003–04 season was the 124th season of competitive football by Rangers.

Overview Rangers played a total of 52 competitive matches during the 2003–04 season. The season ended trophyless. Due to the club's financial situation they had to resort to selling many top players. These included Barry Ferguson, Lorenzo Amoruso and Neil McCann, they also released high earners Arthur Numan and Bert Konterman.

Despite starting the season well with seven consecutive wins and topping the table, a 1–0 loss at home to Celtic in October saw Rangers season unravel. Inconsistent form and three old firm derby defeats saw Rangers fall behind Celtic in the title race and ended up finishing 17 points off top spot.

The Scottish Cup campaign ended in the third round after a 1–0 defeat to Celtic. The League Cup campaign also ended in defeat at the semi-final stage to Hibernian at Hampden Park, 4–3 on penalties.

In Europe Rangers managed to qualify for the group stages of the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League with a win over F.C. Copenhagen in the third qualifying round. They were drawn in the group stages alongside English Champions Manchester United, Stuttgart and Panathinaikos. Despite earning 4 points from the first two matches Rangers were to finish bottom of the group.

Players

Squad information

Transfers

In

DatePlayerFromFee17 June 2003 Nuno Capucho Porto £700,00018 July 2003 Zurab Khizanishvili Dundee Free4 August 2003 Paolo Vanoli Bologna Free5 August 2003 Henning Berg Blackburn Rovers Free29 August 2003 Emerson Atlético Madrid Free30 August 2003 Egil Østenstad Blackburn Rovers Free18 September 2003 Hamed Namouchi Cannes Free Marc Kalenga Auxerre Free31 December 2003 Gavin Rae Dundee £207,00026 January 2004 Frank de Boer Galatasaray Free31 January 2004 Bajram Fetai B.93 £200,000

Out

DatePlayerToFee1 June 2003 Dan Eggen Le Mans Free Arthur Numan Retired Jérôme Bonnissel Fulham Free Stephen Dobbie Hibernian Free3 June 2003 Paul Reid Northampton Town £100,0004 June 2003 Claudio Caniggia Qatar SC Free7 July 2003 Bert Konterman Vitesse Free14 July 2003 Lorenzo Amoruso Blackburn Rovers £1,400,00030 July 2003 Steven MacLean Scunthorpe United Loan5 August 2003 Neil McCann Southampton £1,500,00021 August 2003 Jimmy Gibson Clyde Free29 August 2003 Barry Ferguson Blackburn Rovers £7,500,000 Kevin Muscat Millwall Free16 January 2004 Jesper Christiansen Viborg FF Free18 March 2004 Egil Østenstad Viking FK Free

Expenditure: £1,107,000 Income: £10,500,000 Total loss/gain: £9,393,000

Player statistics No.PlayerPositionAppearancesGoals1 GK 46 02 DF 42 13 DF 25 24 MF 18 15 DF 17 26 MF 5 07 FW 29 158 MF 21 59 FW 17 210 FW 45 1211 MF 11 212 DF 17 014 MF 21 315 DF 38 016 DF 35 117 DF 0 018 DF 43 119 FW 19 820 MF 32 621 DF 30 122 GK 6 023 MF 33 924 FW 0 025 DF 30 026 MF 36 1327 MF 28 329 GK 0 030 MF 26 432 DF 11 137 MF 9 338 FW 3 040 MF 2 045 MF 2 048 DF 2 049 FW 1 050 FW 1 052 FW 1 0

Disciplinary record

Club

Board of directors

Coaching staff

Other staff

Matches Friendlies DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers 16 July 2003 Greuther FürthN2–03,500Thompson (2) 19 July 2003 VfB AuerbachA5–12,500Mols (3), Capucho, Løvenkrands 19 July 2003 Erzgebirge AueA1–02,500R.de Boer 22 July 2003 Jahn RegensburgA1–25,000Nerlinger 26 July 2003 EvertonH2–328,000Thompson, Mols 30 July 2003LinfieldA3–013,284R.de Boer, Dowie, MacLean 5 August 2003 ArsenalH0–337,000

Scottish Premier League

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers 9 August 2003KilmarnockH4–049,108Løvenkrands, Mols, Arteta (2, 1 pen) 16 August 2003 AberdeenA3–216,348 R. de Boer, Arteta, Mols 23 August 2003 HibernianH5–249,642 Mols (2), O'Connor (o.g.), Arteta, Burke 31 August 2003 Dundee UnitedA3–111,111 Capucho, Arveladze, Arteta (pen.) 13 September 2003 Dunfermline AthleticH4–049,072 Thompson, Mols, Arveladze, Capucho 21 September 2003 Heart of MidlothianA4–014,732 Arveladze (2), Løvenkrands (2) 27 September 2003 DundeeH3–149,548 Arveladze (2), Vanoli 4 October 2003 CelticH0–149,825 19 October 2003 MotherwellA1–110,824 Arveladze 25 October 2003 LivingstonA0–09,627 1 November 2003 Partick ThistleH3–149,551 Arteta (2, 1 pen.), Mols 9 November 2003 KilmarnockA3–212,204 Arveladze (2), Capucho 22 November 2003 AberdeenH3–049,962 Hughes, Løvenkrands (2), 30 November 2003 HibernianA1–011,160 Hughes 6 December 2003 Dundee UnitedH2–149,307 Capucho, Løvenkrands 14 December 2003 Dunfermline AthleticA0–28,592 20 December 2003 HeartsH2–149,592 Arveladze, Burke 28 December 2003 DundeeA2–010,948 Capucho, Ball 3 January 2004 CelticA0–359,087 17 January 2004 MotherwellH1–048,925 Arveladze 24 January 2004 LivingstonH1–048,638 Nerlinger 1 February 2004 Partick ThistleA1–08,220 Løvenkrands 11 February 2004 KilmarnockH2–046,900 Moore, Namouchi 14 February 2004 AberdeenA1–115,815 F.de Boer 21 February 2004 HibernianH3–049,698 Arveladze (pen), Mols, Thompson(pen) 29 February 2004 Dundee UnitedA0–210,497 13 March 2004 HeartsA1–114,598 Moore(pen) 20 March 2004 DundeeH4–049,364 Løvenkrands, F.de Boer, Rae, Thompson 23 March 2004 Dunfermline AthleticH4–147,487 Hutton, Løvenkrands, R.de Boer, Mols 28 March 2004 CelticH1–249,909 Thompson 4 April 2004 MotherwellA1–08,967 Hughes 14 April 2004 LivingstonA1–16,096 Mols 17 April 2004 Partick ThistleH2–049,279 Thompson, Rae 24 April 2004 Dundee UnitedA3–38,339 Thompson (2, 1 pen), Namouchi 1 May 2004 MotherwellH4–047,579 Arteta, Ross, Namouchi, Thompson 8 May 2004 CelticA0–159,180 12 May 2004 HeartsH0–147,467 16 May 2004 Dunfermline AthleticA3–26,798 Ricksen, Burke, McCormack (pen.)

Scottish League Cup

DateRoundOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers 28 October 2003R3Forfar AthleticH6–026,327Nerlinger (3), Løvenkrands, Capucho, Østenstad 3 December 2003QFSt JohnstoneH3–011,072Burke, Østenstad, Mols 5 February 2004SFHibernianN*1–127,954Mols *Rangers lost the match 4–3 on penalties

Scottish Cup

DateRoundOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers 10 January 2004R3HibernianA2–011,392Arveladze, Løvenkrands 8 February 2004R4KilmarnockA2–011,072R.de Boer, Arveladze (pen.) 7 March 2004QFCelticA0–158,735

UEFA Champions League

DateRoundOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers 13 August 2003 QR3 CopenhagenH1–147,401Løvenkrands 27 August 2003 QR3 CopenhagenA2–135,519Arteta (pen.), Arveladze 16 September 2003 GS VfB StuttgartH2–147,957Nerlinger, Løvenkrands 1 October 2003 GS PanathinaikosA1–113,718Emerson 22 October 2003 GS Manchester UnitedH0–148,730 4 November 2003 GS Manchester UnitedA0–366,707 26 November 2003 GS VfB StuttgartA0–150,348 9 December 2003 GS PanathinaikosH1–348,588Mols

Competitions

Overall

Scottish Premier League

Standings

Results summary

Results by round

Champions league table

References