Mo Johnston

Optimus_Prime

Optimus_Prime

Well-Known Member
Why did super mo only last two seasons with us?

Did the pressure from the bheasts from the East finally get to him?

He was an outstanding striker who I idolised when I was younger.
 
What really consumes the Beggars is that the Maurice Johnston we signed, was twice the player that had left Scotland.

Once the nonsense had simmered down, especially amongst our own, he was a fantastic signing for us, a few memorable goals against Them too, to haunt them to this very day.

Of course the hatred they feel for Mo is still as devouring today as it was nearly 35 years ago, handed on from father to son, as it will be for generations to come.
 
Rangerista said:
What really consumes the Beggars is that the Maurice Johnston we signed, was twice the player that had left Scotland.

Once the nonsense had simmered down, especially amongst our own, he was a fantastic signing for us, a few memorable goals against Them too, to haunt them to this very day.

Of course the hatred they feel for Mo is still as devouring today as it was nearly 35 years ago, handed on from father to son, as it will be for generations to come.
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Mo was one of the best in Britain at the time with us. Loved the wee man. His time in France must have matured him. Cracking player
 
Big Hepy said:
He wasn't even the best player we signed in July '89. Trevor Steven signed then too
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Don't kid yourself about mo johnston, he was great in that first season for us and his fitness was off the scale, in his second season his fitness wasn't close to his first. What the media in Scotland don't tell you is "he can't come home because he will be threatened and lynched by the support" - the celtc support ! He even had to cancel coming over to play in a charity sixes tourney.
 
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Rangerista said:
What really consumes the Beggars is that the Maurice Johnston we signed, was twice the player that had left Scotland.

Once the nonsense had simmered down, especially amongst our own, he was a fantastic signing for us, a few memorable goals against Them too, to haunt them to this very day.

Of course the hatred they feel for Mo is still as devouring today as it was nearly 35 years ago, handed on from father to son, as it will be for generations to come.
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Great points mate.

He was an exciting, burgeoning talent for Thistle. Held his own in Division One for Watford and was a good foil for an ageing Dalglish for Scotland. Was pretty much electric for them in 85-86 and then matured and showed his class for Nantes.

We gave him the platform to produce possibly his best form for what, a good eighteen months?

A smashing player and although many say he was a mercenary, he never let us down and he did the business for us. Sentimentality can play tricks as you get older, but I remember him fondly. And let's be frank, he had balls of steel in signing for us.

Rangers and Scotland would kill for a player of his quality today.
 
DEJABLUE62 said:
Don't kid yourself about mo johnston, he was great in that first season for us and his fitness was off the scale, in his second season his fitness wasn't close to his first.
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Mate I loved Wee Mo but come on. Trevor Steven is literally one of the best players to play for us. Over 5 million to Marseille was a bargain
 
Porto Loyal said:
He got injured playing for Scotland and lost his place in the Rangers team.
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And then Walter sussed that there was a different tactic available to him given the personnel. Howard Kendall offered the same money that he cost and off he went.
 
The truly funny thing about the whole signing was , a few months before he was wearing their top and they were so convinced he was resigning for them , to the manks it was a done deal.

Journalists were summoned to Ibrox for a Graeme Souness press conference, in which the Rangers boss would unveil a high-profile Catholic signing, the hacks showed up in a nonchalant mood. Their contacts had given them all the same name: Sheffield Wednesday’s Republic of Ireland midfielder John Sheridan.

In walks Mo ....absolutely amazing.
 
RenfrewshireTrueBlue said:
He was a fantastic player although it took him a couple of games to get firing properly. I think he was somewhat passed his best by the time he left, McCoist and Hateley in the end would prove to be a more famous and better partnership.
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I was at the first game at Parkhead he was woeful, but the pressure must have been massive.
 
Super Maurice Johnston breaks their hearts even til this day. As has been said many times before his old man was probably the proudest man alive the day he signed for us.

Was a brave thing he done coming to us and he should be remembered very fondly for not only that but what he done on the park.

Mo mo super Mo
 
He was a brilliant player for us I think he fell out with Souness but I think McCoist was going to remove him at some point anyway
 
A great player for us.
I think the main issue to motivate the move away from the club was Walter becoming manager.
His first choice was MH and AM and it would have been a waste of talent for MJ to be a squad player.
 
Gauche. said:
A great player for us.
I think the main issue to motivate the move away from the club was Walter becoming manager.
His first choice was MH and AM and it would have been a waste of talent for MJ to be a squad player.
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That’s how I remember it. Souness had gone by then, so any falling out between them had nothing to do with it.
 
Johnston was a cracking signing for us and the only downside football wise that it signalled the end of big Kevin Drinkell's time with us who I loved to bits.
 
He was a magnificent signing for us. A signing that utterly destroyed that lot and their support. My brother in law almost talks about it like a Kennedy moment and I quote “I almost crashed my van when I heard it”.
That aside he was brilliant for us. A deadly finisher, brave and for a small guy he had some leap on him, he was superb in the air.
Genuinely won’t hear a bad word said about him.
 
Back in the days of very few televised games and being too young to regularly go to games, I hadn’t really seen Johnston playing for them so didn’t really associate him with Celtic. During his time in France, I’d started going to all of our games but also to Scotland games and although I knew the background, I absolutely loved him and thought he was a fantastic player.

I was gutted to see that picture of him and Billy McNeill and that he was going back there. So when he signed for us, I was as excited as I have ever been for a transfer.

We were on holiday and I sprinted back to the poolside with the previous day’s Daily Record chucked it at my mum and dad as I jumped into the pool fully clothed and screaming “we’ve signed Mo Johnston”. My folks thought I’d lost my tiny mind until they looked at the paper and saw that iconic picture of Souness and Mo in the Blue Room.

We definitely got his best season, and a good first half to his second season before Ally and Hateley absolutely took over as first choice. But Johnston’s work-rate, intelligence, composed finishing and height-defying ability in the air made him a fantastic player for us.
 
What I remember was an absolutely deadly striker. He took chances better than most. At the time if Mo had 3 chances he scored twice. At the same time Ally needed 5 to get two goals. His contribution to link up play was brilliant, I think he forced Ally to alter his game and get involved more as prior to Mo arriving all Ally did was score and miss inside the box. Mo showed what Ally was missing from his game. I could see why Souness preferred Hateley and Johnston initially. Super Ally was forced to up his game and to be fair to him he did.
 
Optimus_Prime said:
Why did super mo only last two seasons with us?

Did the pressure from the bheasts from the East finally get to him?

He was an outstanding striker who I idolised when I was younger.
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My own thought is that when Ally became the automatic striker again with Hateley, he couldn't wait to get away. The pressure from his own would obviously taken its toll as well.

The fact he'd never come back, or be allowed to to live again in his own country because of the hate from his own community speaks for itself.
 
Played for us before I was even born but I love him.

Destroyed them.

He must have balls of steel to do what he did.
 
Loved Mo Johnston, he was absolutely brilliant player and was so clinical.
I remember meeting him, super ally and mark walters at the front door at Ibrox , those were the days they used to train at the Albion and he was brilliant with all the kids.
 
Hateley and McCoist basically happened. Ally waited for his chance and took it, wee Mo was slightly on the way down but we got the best and he was in the top strikers in Europe at the time.
 
I'm relying on memory here so I could be wrong but I'm sure that Smith said that he felt Mo had slipped back a little in terms of returning to his old ways etc. He came back from France with a whole new level of professionalism but after a couple of years in Scotland that wasn't quite the case anymore.
 
What a player he was for us that first season, magnificent. A signing the filth will never get over.

Looking back on it, the money we offered him must have been staggering for what he had to put up with, it was unprecedented what we actually paid him, Maurice had a string of debts all over the place and he was in big financial trouble, Souness basically said to him we will clear all your debts and offer you a huge signing on fee.
 
I played football with him in Sighthill when we were kids.

Pat Quinn [excellent ex Motherwell and Scotland player] ran our local youth club, and I always remember both of us watching Mo and Pat said to me "Maurice is going to make it". What set him apart was his desire to succeed, he had a fantastic attitude. He would go in a huff if he lost and dispute every decision that went the other way.

And although he was 100% a Celtic fan, he was was never the bitter type. He was always more interested in playing football rather than going to games.
 
Blue Lew said:
He was a magnificent signing for us. A signing that utterly destroyed that lot and their support. My brother in law almost talks about it like a Kennedy moment and I quote “I almost crashed my van when I heard it”.
That aside he was brilliant for us. A deadly finisher, brave and for a small guy he had some leap on him, he was superb in the air.
Genuinely won’t hear a bad word said about him.
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Add to that, he had a tremendous work rate.
 
ibrox1975 said:
When it came to sheer “effort” there was no one at the club who tried harder for us.
Phenomenal trainer and phenomenal effort every time he played for us.
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Absolutely agree, Mo was 'pressing from the front' before it was ever a thing, was like a wee dog chasing a ball. Like everyone else I had my doubts but (on the park) he was absolutely committed to the cause!!
He'd be even better appreciated in today's game!
 
I worked with his wifes brother in The Hoover. Tam Bell. Don't know if Mo is still married to Karen but she was no bad back in the day.
 
Johnny Yen said:
What a player he was for us that first season, magnificent. A signing the filth will never get over.

Looking back on it, the money we offered him must have been staggering for what he had to put up with, it was unprecedented what we actually paid him, Maurice had a string of debts all over the place and he was in big financial trouble, Souness basically said to him we will clear all your debts and offer you a huge signing on fee.
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And you'd think the tracksuit business would've been booming in 1989.
 
Big Hepy said:
He wasn't even the best player we signed in July '89. Trevor Steven signed then too
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Trevor Steven is one of the finest Rangers players I have ever seen.

A little better than Gio van Bronckhorst was for us. That good. Seriously.

And Mo Johnston was and is a (rhymes with dunt) who should never have been allowed anywhere near a Rangers jersey.
 
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