The day Jim Baxter broke Rapid hearts & they broke his leg
RANGERS ANTHONY HAGGERTY
FROM BACK PAGE which Gary Holt’s men won 1-0.
Livi’s triumphant players were deemed to have tried to taunt Steven Gerrard’s side as Morelos and some of his Ibrox team-mates declined to shake hands with their opponents at the end of the match.
But injured striker Miller, who watched the events at full-time unfold from the stand, has taken a swipe at Morelos for showing a lack of respect.
Miller said: “It was disgraceful from Morelos on Sunday. It was so unprofessional as well.
“I feel for big Declan. He has been made out to be the bad guy.
“Don’t get me wrong, Morelos is a quality act as a player.
“It’s testimony to him that people are trying to mark him out the game.
“But he has to take it and show respect by shaking hands. That part of it he lacked.
“To be fair, he wasn’t the only Rangers player.”
Miller is an old-fashioned striker who loves a battle but insists he has always shaken hands at the end of it all.
He added: “I’ve been in games where we’ve punched, kicked and literally slogged it out.
“But at the end of the game you shake hands.”
Gallagher has also blasted back at Rangers’ claims that Livingston’s taunts sparked unsavoury scenes at the end.
He said: “At no point did myself or any other Livingston player seek to taunt Rangers players over the result.
“Due to a few Rangers players refusing to shake hands at the final whistle, with myself and team-mates, things did get heated.” THE very mention of Rapid Vienna is enough to bring Celtic supporters out in a cold sweat.
Hoops fans never tire of telling how they believe both Rapid and UEFA cheated them out of a potential place in the European Cup Winners’ Cup Final in 1984.
The Austrians have a chequered history when it comes to Scottish opposition. And 20 years earlier it was Rangers supporters who had felt they were victims of a mugging by Rapid.
Light Blues and Scotland legend Jim Baxter in particular had every right to feel hard done by in the only European match-up between the sides to this day.
Scot Symon’s Gers triumphed 3-0 on aggregate over Rapid Vienna to advance to the last eight of the European Cup in 1964.
After a 1-0 first-leg win at Ibrox courtesy of a Davie Wilson goal, Rangers headed to Austria for a tricky and hazardous away tie.
Jim Forrest gave Rangers an early lead before Wilson made it 2-0 on a cold December night in Vienna.
But it was Baxter who stole the show a.haggerty@dailyrecord.co.uk in more ways than one. He was at his mercurial and imperious best against Rapid Vienna as he tormented full-back Walter Skocik with a stunning virtuoso performance.
However, on this night Baxter’s brilliance and showboating antics were to prove his undoing as Skocik became fed-up with the midfielder’s taunting.
The Austrian eventually launched a savage tackle on Baxter late in the game as he tried one nutmeg too many and broke his leg – all but ending the player’s first spell at Rangers.
Baxter played directly in front of Ronnie McKinnon, an elegant defender for Rangers during the 1960s, who takes up the story. McKinnon, 78, said: “Baxter was in sensational form that night in Vienna and all he had to show for it was a broken leg.
“It was sad and we all lamented the fact he was carried off the field injured.
“He was taking the mickey out of the guy Skocik who was one of Rapid’s star players. Baxter could do that to anybody.
“Skocik got annoyed and frustrated. Baxter put the ball through the guy’s legs for the umpteenth time and walked round him and the player chased him and kicked him and broke his leg.
“The Rapid player just couldn’t take any more punishment from Baxter. No matter who the opposition were, if Rangers were in trouble at the back we just gave the ball to Baxter. He demanded the ball anyway .
“Baxter had no nerves and myself and John Greig just gave him the ball when the pressure was on so we could have a rest in defence.
“At times we just stood back in awe and admired his talent.
“More often than not he’d dribble away up to the other end and the ball would end up in the opponents’ net.
“Rangers reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup that year but we lost to Inter Milan. Baxter was a massive miss for Rangers in those games.
“People say Baxter was never the same player after that night and the Rangers supporters often wonder what would have happened had he not got