Rangers Cult Heroes

Paul Smith

Description

Rangers FC Cult Heroes is devoted to 20 players who, over the years, have won a special place in the hearts of the Ibrox faithful - not necessarily the greatest footballers, but a unique brotherhood of mavericks and stalwarts, local lads and big signings. The cast list alone is enough to stir up the memories and tug at the heartstrings of any Gers fan - McMinn, Laudrup and Baxter, Johnston, McPhail and McCoist - recalling how these charismatic personalities used to ignite passion on the terraces. Find out which Light Blue icon Pele wished had hailed from Rio instead of Fife. Who warned young players against becoming 'the most underpaid of all public entertainers'. And which hero refused to play for Scotland on the day of Princess Diana's funeral. Discover and delight in the magical qualities of these 20 mere mortals elevated to cult status by the blue half of Glasgow.

Sujets

• Central Scotland

Informations

• Publié par: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 31 octobre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781908051301
• Langue: English

Extrait

CULT HEROES
RANGERS FC
Paul Smith
CONTENTS
Introduction
David Meiklejohn
Alan Morton
Bob McPhail
George Young
Jim Baxter
Willie Henderson
Willie Johnston
Colin Stein
John Greig
Derek Johnstone
Davie Cooper
Ted McMinn
Terry Butcher
Mark Walters
Ally McCoist
Andy Goram
Brian Laudrup
Paul Gascoigne
J rg Albertz
Maurice Edu
Bibliography
Photographs
DEDICATION
To Coral, Finlay and Mia - my heroes
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I HAVE many people to thank for taking me along an intriguing and educational journey, not least the supporters who argued so forcefully and eloquently for the inclusion of their own particular heroes. Not every recommendation made the final cut, but every opinion was welcome and indeed the memories of Tommy Malcolm, Jim Templeton, Colin Glass, Stephen Pollock, David Dowling, Jim Jack and John Macmillan form the backbone of this book. Thank you all.
Professionally I had the valuable input of Archie Macpherson and David Francey, two of the Scottish game's most famous and authoritative voices, as well as the insight of photographer Eric McCowat, not to mention the benefit of the army of journalists, broadcasters and authors behind the cuttings, audio clips and publications which provided such a rich source of information and comment for me to research. Simon Lowe and his team at Know the Score Books deserve enormous credit for their drive and attention to detail.
Personally those nearest and dearest know by now the part they have played in each and every piece of work I produce, not least my wife Coral and children Finlay and Mia for another year filled with love, laughter and happiness.
Paul Smith August 2007
INTRODUCTION
W RITING AN introduction isn t so much laying the foundations for a book but more of a topping out ceremony, a chance to stand back and admire the fruits of months of hard labour. At least it should be.
On this occasion you find a writer on the defensive before a page in the first chapter has even been turned. The reason is simple: public opinion.
Usually criticism follows the release but this time it began before the book was even written. At the heart of the debate is the definition of cult hero.
Just as the finishing touches were being applied the Rangers support was sparked into life after a glimpse of the front cover. The messageboards became the forum for debate. How could Willie Johnston or Ally McCoist be considered a cult hero? How could I get it so, so wrong? Where s the line in the sand that separates the legends from heroes? Can one man wear both caps? The answer to the last question, in my opinion at least, is yes if those two caps fit.
Willie Johnston is a legend because of his double in the European Cup Winners Cup final but a hero for so many different reasons. Ally McCoist will forever be a legend, with records unlikely ever to be matched, but the adulation heaped upon Super Ally also ensured cult status.
John Greig a cult hero? Surely not, surely the man voted the greatest ever Ranger is outwith that niche. Unless you delve back into the archives and find the cult moments that for supporters of a certain age will tick all the boxes.
It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it. Joseph Joubert
For a touch of moral support I turned to the Cult Heroes series back catalogue. If Alan Shearer is a Newcastle cult hero then Ally McCoist is a fitting Rangers equivalent. If Gianfranco Zola gets the vote at Chelsea then Paul Gascoigne can fill his boots on the Rangers list. In fact, in a BBC viewer s poll the top three Rangers cult heroes came out as Ally McCoist, Davie Cooper and Paul Gascoigne - so there is form for some of the selections.
Every supporter will have their own cult hero and there s every chance they won t be in this book. That s the beauty of football, if you could please all of the people all of the time there wouldn t be winners and every game would end in a draw.
Other clubs boast cult heroes both weird and wonderful but Rangers is a different proposition. The true heroes at Ibrox have, and always will be, the winners.
At the time the book was first released, late in 2007, there was a clamour for Filip Sebo to be recognised as the cult hero of the moment. At the time of writing, late in 2010, Sebo is but a fading memory and Maurice Edu is the man of the moment.
The men who did get this author s vote each won the hearts of the Rangers support for different reasons, whether attitude and appearance or character and controversy.
Some will forever remain cult heroes, for others the affection has cooled. Yet each in their own time was an idol.
The journey from the early days of Rangers Football Club to the present day charts the rise and fall of the shooting star of Light Blue stardom, examining the factors that influenced adulation then and now.
The remit on paper was simple. Pick 20 heroes, do the research and interview those who survive to tell the wonderful tales of life as a Rangers star. Half way through the process it all changed. Deep in conversation with some of the most loyal supporters in the Ibrox ranks - the realisation that the fans and not the players understand better than anyone what makes a hero.
The process has been long and winding, taking me down avenues I would never have imagined. The result, I hope, is entertaining because the journey for me certainly was.
The 20 players chosen all had an impact on the lives of the fans who followed their fortunes week in and week out and from speaking to so many supporters from different generations a common theme emerged.
What makes a hero is a performer who, for whatever reason, burns the image of himself in the Rangers jersey into the subconscious of Joe Public.
In truth 20 is a grave restriction. There s no room for Sammy English, a man so many of his contemporaries considered to be the greatest Rangers striker ever, or for Jock Tiger Shaw and so many of the greats of his era. Winding forward a few decades, there s no room for John Bomber Brown, for the conductor Graham Roberts or for Croatian braveheart Dado Prso.
Instead of labouring on those who did not make it, celebrate those who did and the triumphs and occasional tribulations that made them stand out.
Certainly those who shared their finest moments will raise a glass to them and in turn I toast those who passed on the recollections and experiences that made this such a joy of a project to work on.
Whether colleagues in the media or dedicated fans, the enthusiasm of everyone I encountered along the way bowled me over.
I can understand the passion, if I delve deep into my own memory bank. As a journalist, dealing with football players day in day out can deaden the normal sensitivities, the men who stand apart as heroes to the fans become colleagues in a sense - and have you ever idolised a colleague? But every journalist has been a supporter and had their hero. I spent hours trying to perfect the double shuffle so expertly imported to Scotland by Mark Walters and just as long trying to tackle like Ian Ferguson. But I only ever had a poster of one player on my wall and that was Paul Gascoigne, pre-Rangers in his Spurs kit. In those days, when he was on the way to the highest highs before anyone could have imagined the lowest lows that would follow, he was the player whose feints and turns left a lasting impression on an impressionable young football fan. When he finally wound up in Scotland, ageing physically if not mentally, his mesmerizing performances did not disappoint but his off-field antics soured the memories for this former Gazza aficionado.
That is worth bearing in mind when you flick through the 20 chapters that follow. Just because a player is viewed one way now doesn t mean he always was, some who were heroes in their day have seen their halo fade in more recent times. This isn t about how players are regarded now, more about how they touched the lives of the fans who had posters on their wall when they were at their peak.
MAGIC MOMENT: The coolest man on the park took the penalty nobody else wanted to and put Rangers on course for the club s first Scottish Cup success in 25 years.
DAVID MEIKLEJOHN MEEK 1919-1936
GERS CAREER: Games 563; Goals 46; Caps 15
C OMETH THE hour, cometh the man. The most cliched of sporting maxims but it is one worth dusting down and reusing when it comes to grappling for an explanation for the elevation of one of Rangers first real heroes to cult status.
In David Meiklejohn s era the type of adulation and god-like reverie was reserved, quite simply, for God and not mere footballers. Fast forward the best part of a century and more people worship at the temple of football than the altars of Christianity but in the 1920s and 30s a reputation, a haircut or a celebrity wife didn t cut the mustard with the fan on the terraces. Judgements from the flat-capped brigade were made purely on substance, and Meiklejohn was a man who offered that in spades.

In a pulse-stopping moment he cemented his place in the hearts and minds of the Ibrox faithful and indelibly penned a place in the early annals of his burgeoning club.
That moment came in April, 1928 as part of a Rangers side aiming to end a quarter century of cup heartache by taking the Scottish Cup back to Ibrox for the first time since 1903.
Celtic were the opponents, Hampden was the setting, the crowd of 118,115 was a British record and despite the league dominance Rangers enjoyed in that period it meant everything to the Govan masses crammed into a national stadium which creaked and swayed with every cheer and groan.
The game was 55 minutes old and poised at 0-0 when the search for a Rangers hero was launched after a blatant hand ball on the line by Hoops captain Willie McStay had kept out Jimmy Fleming s net bound effort. The Light Blues had a penalty and there was one man with the iron will and steely nerve to shoulder the