The challenge for Rangers this year is to dismount Celtic who sit once again at the summit of the SPFL standings.
Michael Beale’s side won’t be playing Champions League football following defeat in Eindhoven and they are already 4 points behind their Glasgow rivals with just 4 games played.
Looking at the club as a whole though, they still boast a lot of history and have enjoyed many iconic moments throughout the years.
A lot of Scottish footballers are proud supporters of Rangers and the same goes for the wider world of celebrities in truth. From the wrestling ring to 007 himself, here are a whole host of the most famous people who have pledged their allegiances to the blue half of Glasgow that we have gathered at Football FanCast.
10
Simon Neil
Kicking things off with Simon Neil, the frontman of one of the most famous Scottish bands of the 21st century. He is the singer, guitarist and vocalist for Biffy Clyro, although he has only recently joined forces with Mike Vennart to form Empire State Bastard.
Biffy Clyro’s biggest hits include Many of Horror, Bubbles and Biblical and they have been nominated for the Mercury Prize as well as multiple BRIT Awards. Beyond that, they have won four NME Awards whilst also being nominated for a fifth.
Neil himself hails from Irvine, North Ayrshire and has regularly been spotted in the Directors’ Box at Ibrox.
9
Tinchy Stryder
Remaining in the musical realm but with a very different individual.
Rapper Tinchy Stryder was born in Accra, Ghana and grew up thereuntil he moved to London, where he has lived ever since. He was at his peak in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s with many deeming him as one of the best artists to come out of the UK.
Stryder, real name Kwasi Esono Danquah III, is actually a talented footballer himself, having spent time in the academies at AFC Wimbledon and Leyton Orient.
He has been quoted as saying the following, “I like Ally McCoist, I like Barry Ferguson. I like a lot of different people that have played for them and I guess it was one of these things… I was like, ‘that is my team’.”
8
Chris Evans
From on the stage to in a radio booth with longtime Radio 1 and 2 DJ Chris Evans.
His hosting abilities go beyond the radio given that he has previously been at the helm of The One Show and also Top Gear, presenting alongside the likes of Matt LeBlanc and Sabine Schmitz during his time with the latter.
Evans’ support of Rangers stemmed from his friendship with the icon that is Paul Gascoigne. When Gazza was playing for the Scottish outfit and enjoying himself away from the field, he was often pictured with Evans normally enjoying a drink or two.
7
Maya Jama
A radio presenter better known to the more modern generation is Maya Jama.
She is currently a very busy woman in the industry with her best-known job being as the presenter of Love Island, following on from previous hosts Caroline Flack and Laura Whitmore.
Maya is from Bristol and so as a result she supports Bristol Rovers as well as West Ham United and so her links to Rangers are tenuous in all honesty. She has been photographed wearing the iconic blue jersey, as a result claiming that the ‘Gers are the Scottish team which she follows.
6
Colin Montgomerie
Putting music to one side and entering the sporting world once again with former Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie OBE.
He led the European team into battle at Celtic Manor in 2010 and they edged out the USA by a score of 13.5-12.5.
In the 2004 New Year’s Honours, Montgomerie was named as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. During his career on the golf course, he finished 2nd five times at Major tournaments but was never able to get over the line and win a coveted trophy. He did win 31 times on the European Tour though.
Montgomerie is a Leeds United fan but having been born in Glasgow, he also keenly follows Rangers.
5
Sir Kenneth Branagh
Supporting multiple teams is becoming a bit of a theme on this list and that is continuing on with acting royalty, Sir Kenneth Branagh.
Recently he has directed and starred as Hercule Poirot in film adaptions of Agatha Christie novels, Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile being released in 2017 and 2022 respectively whilst A Haunting in Venice is set to come out later this month.
Branagh has also been involved in a number of Shakespeare adaptions, three Christopher Nolan films including 2023’s smash-hit Oppenheimer and of course he also played Gilderoy Lockhart in the Harry Potter franchise.
He has an Oscar and 5 BAFTAs to his name from a combined total of 21 nominations and as well as sharing around the awards, he also shares around his footballing allegiances.
Branagh featured in our famous Tottenham Hotspur fans’ list as well as following Rangers and then Linfield from the country of his birth, Northern Ireland.
4
Stone Cold Steve Austin
The first American is upon us and he only just misses out on a podium finish.
Stone Cold Steve Austin was a poster boy for the WWE when it was in its pomp alongside names such as The Rock, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Andre the Giant and Triple H to name just a few.
Steve Austin from Texas is currently in the world of acting having left wrestling behind but during his time in the ring, he was one of a kind. He held the WWE Championship six times, the Intercontinental Championship twice, he won the Royal Rumble a record three times and was then inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 by Vince McMahon.
In English football, Stone Cold supports Bolton Wanderers but he also pledges his allegiances to Glasgow Rangers as well.
3
Gordon Ramsay
In third place, getting the podium spots up and running, is the most famous chef in the world right now, Gordon Ramsay.
Known for his lively and brutal nature no matter who he is dealing with, the Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares host is that brilliant that he is no longer just a chef, he is now an entertainer and a presenter as well.
Whether it’s calling people idiot sandwiches or telling them they forgot the lamb sauce, there are so many quotable lines that the Scotsman has uttered over the years.
Ramsay, who is also an OBE, is well-known at the moment for “Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip” where he accompanies fellow chef Gino D’Acampo and First Dates’ maître d’hôtel Fred Sirieix on journeys around the world.
Gordon Ramsay is certainly one of the best-known fans of Rangers having even played for them as a youngster, injuries then hampering him from progressing to the professional level.
2
Sean Connery
From one beloved Scotsman to another with the first man to play James Bond on the big screen, Sean Connery.
The Edinburgh-born actor passed away in 2020 and during his career, he was of course best known for starring as 007, 7 times in fact between 1962 and 1983.
As well as his time as the dapper spy, Connery also played dad to Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, going by the name of Henry Jones Senior. Also in this film were the likes of Alison Doody, River Phoenix and John Rhys-Davis.
Connery didn’t stray too far away from controversy for a number of reasons. Something his dad also wouldn’t have been too happy about was his switch in allegiances, crossing the Glasgow divide. He grew up as a Celtic fan because of his father only to become a lover of Rangers due to his friendship with chairman David Murray.
1
Mike Tyson
From two through-and-through Scottish men to someone from across the pond in the form of “Iron” Mike Tyson.
“The Baddest Man on the Planet” is of course a member of the Boxing Hall of Fame but he too has controversy following him closely, including a conviction of rape and a more recent accusation too, as well as the biting of Evander Holyfield’s ear.
Some people will tell you that Tyson is a Peterborough United fan or a Wolverhampton Wanderers fan and he may well be both in truth, making it three total clubs when you add in these Scottish giants. He has been pictured wearing all of their shirts and even appearing at their stadiums too.
Others
It goes without saying that Rangers are a huge club and so there are far more than just 10 famous people from the celebrity world who follow them.
In the footballing world, names such as Billy Gilmour, Alan Hansen, Robbie Fowler and Gary McAllister.
Meanwhile, golfing icon Arnold Palmer fits the bill, as does the transfer deadline day guru Jim White, former Scotland rugby player and husband to Gabby, Kenny Logan, Wet Wet Wet frontman Marti Pellow and finally, WWE athlete Drew McIntyre.
