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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ralph Laidlaw Brand[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1936-12-08)8 December 1936 (age 88) | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Carrick Knowe | |||
| 1952–1954 | Rangers | ||
| 1952–1953 | → Slateford Athletic (loan) | ||
| 1953–1954 | →Broxburn Athletic (loan) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1954–1965 | Rangers | 206 | (127) |
| 1965–1967 | Manchester City | 20 | (2) |
| 1967–1968 | Sunderland | 31 | (7) |
| 1969–1970 | Raith Rovers | 23 | (5) |
| 1971–1972 | Hamilton Academical | 7 | (2) |
| Total | 287 | (143) | |
| International career | |||
| 1958[2] | Scotland under-23 | 1 | (0) |
| 1960–1962 | Scotland | 8 | (8) |
| 1961[3] | SFA trial v SFL | 1 | (1) |
| 1961–1963[4] | Scottish League XI | 5 | (8) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1972–1973 | Darlington | ||
| 1973–1974 | Albion Rovers | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ralph Laidlaw Brand (born 8 December 1936) is a Scottish retiredfootballer, who played as a striker forRangers. He later played forManchester City,Sunderland,Raith Rovers andHamilton Academical.[5]
Born and raised inEdinburgh, Brand had family connections toGlasgow as his uncle resided inSpringburn. Brand's uncle was aRangers supporter, and worked in theGovan shipyards.[6][7] He signed for Rangers in 1952, after impressing managerBill Struth, whilst playing in a schoolboy international againstEngland atWembley; Struth signed him on a provisional contract in the summer of that year.[8]
Having spent time on loan with juvenile side Slateford Athletic andJunior teamBroxburn Athletic,[6] in 1954, months he turned professional and made his debut for Rangers on 6 November againstKilmarnock, scoring two goals in a 6–0 win. He missed the next two seasons doing hisnational service.[8] After his return in December 1957,Scot Symon had become the manager and Brand formed an effective strike partnership with fellow Edinburgh nativeJimmy Millar,[7][6] and scored 14 goals in 28 games over the course of the second half of the season.[8]
Having been joined on the left wing byDavie Wilson, his best season came in1960–61, in which he played in all of Rangers' 34 league games, scoring 24 goals, and 44 in all competitions. These included five goals in Rangers' run to the final of theCup Winners Cup, three of which were scored in an 8–0 victory overBorussia Mönchengladbach.[8][9]
Brand played in four Scottish championship winning sides: 1958–59, 1960–61, 1962–63 and theTreble winning side of 1963–64.[8][10] He won fourLeague Cup and threeScottish Cup winner's medals, the latter set achieved in consecutive years in which he was a scorer in every final (plus a goal in theOld Firm replay of 1963), the only player to have achieved that feat.[8] He played in a total of seven finals for the club, scoring six goals and never finishing on the losing side. In his time at Rangers he played 317 times and scored 206 goals, and is the club's third top post-war scorer behindAlly McCoist andDerek Johnstone.[8][7]
He played his last match for Rangers on 23 April 1965 when he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win overThird Lanark in the final League game of the season. Brand was sold to Manchester City in August that year for £30,000.[8] Two years later he moved toSunderland before returning to Scottish football atRaith Rovers (managed by his friend Jimmy Millar).[7] He retired in 1970, although he would come out of retirement to play a handful of matches forHamilton Academical in 1971–72.
Brand played forScotland eight times, scoring eight goals, although his international opportunities were limited becauseDenis Law was the established striker in the side.[8][11] He also played five times for theScottish League XI, scoring eight times including four in one match against theIrish League in October 1961.[4]
Brand had a brief managerial career, taking charge ofDarlington for 6 months from December 1972, thenAlbion Rovers between 1973 and 1974. After leaving the football business he worked as a taxi-driver.[7]
Brand's son, Ralph Brand Jr., played a number of games for Rangers' reserve team in the 1970s.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 November 1960 | Hampden Park, Glasgow |  Northern Ireland | 4–2 | 5–2 | BHC |
| 2 | 9 November 1960 | Hampden Park, Glasgow | Northern Ireland | 5–2 | 5–2 | BHC |
| 3 | 3 May 1961 | Hampden Park, Glasgow |  Republic of Ireland | 1–0 | 4–1 | WCQG8 |
| 4 | 3 May 1961 | Hampden Park, Glasgow | Republic of Ireland | 2–0 | 4–1 | WCQG8 |
| 5 | 7 May 1961 | Dalymount Park, Dublin | Republic of Ireland | 3–0 | 3–0 | WCQG8 |
| 6 | 7 October 1961 | Windsor Park,Belfast | Northern Ireland | 3–1 | 6–1 | BHC |
| 7 | 7 October 1961 | Windsor Park,Belfast | Northern Ireland | 5–1 | 6–1 | BHC |
| 8 | 2 May 1962 | Hampden Park, Glasgow |  Uruguay | 2–3 | 2–3 | Friendly |
