William Struth (16 June 1875 – 21 September 1956) was a Scottish
football manager
''Football Manager'', also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008, is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...
. He was the second manager of Rangers Football Club, leading the club for 34 years between 1920 and 1954, as well as being the holder of a number of other positions, including director. Struth is one of the most successful managers in Scottish and British football history, winning 30 major trophies in his career; a record 18 Scottish league championships, 10
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
s.
Career
Struth was born in
Leith
Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith.
The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, the eldest child of William Struth senior, a stonemason, and Isabella Cunningham. He grew up in Edinburgh and Milnathort (his father's birthplace) in Kinross-shire and worked as a stonemason, but he also competed as a professional runner until he was in his 30s.Bill Struth - A Rangers Legend Robert McElroy, Gersnet In the early 1900s he began helping to train the players at his local football club, Heart of Midlothian, and in 1908 he moved to
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
to become the trainer at Clyde. For three seasons at Shawfield he worked alongside Alex Maley, brother of the Celtic manager Willie Maley.
Struth moved to Rangers in 1914 to take up the position of assistant manager. At the age of 45, in 1920, he took over as manager after his predecessor William Wilton drowned in a boating accident off Gourock.
Struth went on to win the league title 18 times as manager, winning 14 titles in 19 years before the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. This included winning five titles in a row between 1927 and 1931. Struth's tenure as manager spanned the club's first league and cup
double
Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to:
Mathematics and computing
* Multiplication by 2
* Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length
* A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1
* A ...
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,treble in
1949
Events
January
* January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025
* January 2 – Luis ...
, Struth becoming the first Scottish manager to achieve this honour.
If wartime competitions (the 1939–40 Scottish Emergency League followed by six wartime Southern League championships, the Scottish War Emergency Cup, the 1946 Victory Cup, a Summer Cup and four Southern League Cups) and local tournaments (19 Glasgow Cups, 20 Glasgow Merchants Charity Cups) are included, Struth won a total of 73 trophies during his career, making him the most decorated manager in British football history.
Struth was renowned as a disciplinarian, insisting that the team wore a collar and tie when turning up for training;bowler hats were obligatory for Rangers players.Adam Little was signed by Struth an this interview gives an insight into his methods.
In 1947, Struth became a Rangers director and was then appointed vice-chairman after retiring in 1954. In 1952 he had part of a leg amputated as a result of gangrene. He died on 21 September 1956, aged 81, at his home in Dumbreck and is buried in Craigton Cemetery, overlooking Ibrox Stadium. His wife, Catherine Forbes, predeceased him in 1941. The grave lies in the south-west section on a terrace on its north side.
Recognition
In 2005, Rangers' chairman Sir David Murray unveiled a bronze bust of Bill Struth, located in the Main Stand at Ibrox, now known as the "Bill Struth Main Stand" in honour of his contribution to Rangers Football Club.
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
(2): 1946–47, 1948–49
Individual
* 6th most decorated manager of all time (30 trophies)