May 13th marks the 100th anniversary of perhaps the greatest Rangers manager ever joining the club. I am of course referring to the legend that is Bill Struth.

Bill Struth joined Rangers on May 13th 1914, just a matter of weeks before the outbreak of the First World War, where football became a mere side issue as countless young men lost their lives in battles on foreign soil.

Struth, as we all know, was a disciplinarian and a fitness fanatic. He joined as assistant to William Wilton, little knowing he would become the 2nd manager in our illustrious history. Sadly it was in tragic circumstances that Struth was given the honour of manager as William Wilton drowned in a boating accident in 1920.

Struth took over the mantle aged 45 little knowing the success that lay ahead. His record literally is astonishing when you consider the teams and players back then were arguably of a much higher standard than now. He presided over a period of unrivalled dominance of the Scottish game, a run of such superiority that it was only halted by the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939.

Taken from the Rangers website, his trophy haul is impressive to say the least:-

"He won the League Championship 18 times, including a dazzling spell of 14 in 19 years before the war. Those titles included a run of Five-In-A-Row between 1926-27 and 1930-31, a standard unsurpassed at the club until the 1990s.

Not only was he to bring the first Cup and League Double to the club in 1927-28, he was still at the helm when they completed the first Cup, League and League Cup Treble in 1948-49.

The line of great players under his guidance seemed endless - stretching from David Meiklejohn and Alan Morton, through Bob McPhail and Willie Thornton to, among others, Jock Shaw, George Young and Willie Woodburn."

One can only wonder at what he would have achieved in the modern game. Or would the pampered modern day footballers of today have revolted against his rod of iron management?

Bill Struth was Mr Rangers and the players always knew who the boss was. Hard but fair is probably the best way to sum up his managerial reign.

The war finished in 1945 and two years later in 1947 he became a director of Rangers Football Club. Bill Struth served as manager until the summer of 1954 when he retired. Maybe he should have retired earlier but that is an argument for the supporters of that era to mull over. On his retirement he was made Vice-Chairman. A position he held for only two years when sadly he passed away aged 81.

Mr Struth served Rangers with distinction and ensured that every single player knew what an honour it was to be a Rangers player. Smartly dressed and immaculate at all times, these players were the crème de la crème of Scottish Football and perhaps even Scottish society as well.

Bill Struth is buried in Craigton cemetery. A fitting place as it overlooks his beloved Ibrox Park, and fittingly the club announced in 2006 that they were renaming the Main Stand "The Bill Struth Main Stand" in his honour.

There are many tales and anecdotes of his time at Rangers but I think he is best known for this very famous phrase which encapsulates perfectly what it means to be a Ranger.

"I have been lucky - lucky in those who were around me from the boardroom to the dressing-room. In time of stress, their unstinted support, unbroken devotion to our club and calmness in adversity eased the task of making Rangers FC the premier club in this country.

To be a Ranger is to sense the sacred trust of upholding all that such a name means in this shrine of football. They must be true in their conception of what the Ibrox tradition seeks from them. No true Ranger has ever failed in the tradition set him.

Our very success, gained you will agree by skill, will draw more people than ever to see it. And that will benefit many more clubs than Rangers. Let the others come after us. We welcome the chase. It is healthy for us. We will never hide from it. Never fear, inevitably we shall have our years of failure, and when they arrive, we must reveal tolerance and sanity.

No matter the days of anxiety that come our way, we shall emerge stronger because of the trials to be overcome. That has been the philosophy of the Rangers since the days of the gallant pioneers."

Oh, to have Bill Struth at Rangers Today!