Today I’m showcasing my Rangers FC Fernando Ricksen #2 home jersey and Shota Arveladze #7 away jersey both by Diadora from the 2003-04 season. With this, begins the story of a Georgian Giant and an Angry Dutchman.

The 2003-04 season was a failure for the Rangers by their standards. After winning the Scottish treble the year before, the Rangers finished second in the Scottish Premier League to their bitter Glasgow rivals Celtic. They also lost several keys players during the season.







Ricksen had a strong season but with that came disciplinary problems. During the season he pushed then Rangers chairman John McClelland into a swimming pool before a Champions League match. He was also banned from the Dutch national team for smashing down a hotel room door.

Arveladze also had a strong season, leading the scoring charts for the club with 12 goals in the league and another 3 cup goals, totaling 15 which also included a goal in the Champions League.

Fernando Ricksen Back Ricksen had disciplinary issues throughout his career including a ban for a Kung-Fu style kick. Shota Averladze Back Arveladze is the most prolific Georgian goalscorer of all-time for both club and country.

Ricksen’s disciplinary issues with Rangers first came to light when he became the first player in Scottish football to be banned retrospectively following a Kung-Fu style kick on an Aberdeen midfielder. In 2004 he was again banned for an elbow on a Hibernian striker.

In 2006 he sought treatment relating to alcohol abuse and anger management. He was also involved throughout his career in drink driving, assault and breach of peace convictions as a result of his drunken behavior.

He’s contract at his next club FC Zenit Saint Petersburg was terminated due to constant disciplinary misbehavior in 2009.

Fernando Ricksen Back His career highlight was jointly winning the SPFA Player of the Year Award in 2004–05, scoring 9 goals from 40 appearances and helping the Rangers to a league and league cup double. Shota Arverladze Back Arverladze scored 44 goals in 95 games for the Rangers across four seasons which followed a spell at Ajax where he netted 55 goals in 96 games.

Arverladze is Georgia’s top goal scorer of all time with 291 goals in 410 club league games. He’s also the all-time leading goal scorer for the Georgian national team with a total of 26 goals in 61 games. This is all despite dealing with chronic asthma throughout his career.

During his time at Rangers, fans had nicknamed him Mr Bean due to his facial similarities to Rowan Atkinson. Today he is currently the manager of Uzbek side Pakhtakor Tashkent in the Uzbekistan Super League.

Unfortunately for Fernando Ricksen he revealed in 2003 that he was terminally ill and was diagnosed with ALS (motor neurone disease).

Although 2003-04 was a poor season, the Rangers, the Georgian Giant and Angry Dutchman followed this up with winning the league-cup double the following year in their 125th season of competitive football.

Two dynamic personalities, Ricksen and Arverladze have both left their mark at the Rangers.





