Rangers goalkeepers over the years

Bearsden Bear

Well-Known Member
I saw my first Rangers game in 1964, and Billy Ritchie was in goal, and I liked him.

Since then, we have had many fine goalkeepers, but rather than put up a poll, I just wanted to share with you who I thought has been the best of them all.

Whilst I thing McGregor is a truly great 'keeper, the daddy of them all has to be Andy Goram. That is no insult to McGregor, but I think you'ld be hard pushed to find any Bear who follow followed throughout the years of Goram's career than would disagree.
 
We’ve been fortunate to have plenty of good ones to choose from.

I think most will agree that McGregor has surpassed them all now and is our greatest keeper.

I know a lot will disagree but it’s hard to argue against it now.
It's very easy to argue against it! Goram is our best keeper and will take us having the best on the planet (again) to surpass him.

It's easy to live in the modern and proclaim what you're seeing as the best ever.

McGregor is amazing though, some really top class saves and he's won us a hell of a lot of points. I won't make any arguments against him being anyone's pick other than to say I disagree because he doesn't deserve that and there isn't such a thing as a perfect keeper.
 
I've been following us since 78.

For some reason, even though he was by no means the best, I have always had a strange keeper-crush on Jim Stewart.

He really was a very good goalie, but the 1982 SC Final seemed to break him a little.

As a kid I was never that impressed with McCloy and actively disliked Nicky Walker.

Woods, Goram, Klos and McGregor. There's 4 main keepers in 35 years.

We've been fortunate and I hope our next one is spoken about in the same breath as those guys because I never ever expected McGregor to be in the conversation. And he most definitely is.
 
I've been watching Rangers since the late 60s. We didn't have a great keeper (one I had complete confidence in) until Chris Woods. Since then, apart from those between McGregor's two spells, the main keeper has been pretty good. The two that were brought in and didn't impress were Letizi and Charbonnier, although injuries didn't help Charbonnier.
McCloy had good spells but was prone to howlers. Kennedy had a great season then Wembley ruined him.
Goram was the best in my opinion.
 
It's very easy to argue against it! Goram is our best keeper and will take us having the best on the planet (again) to surpass him.

It's easy to live in the modern and proclaim what you're seeing as the best ever.

McGregor is amazing though, some really top class saves and he's won us a hell of a lot of points. I won't make any arguments against him being anyone's pick other than to say I disagree because he doesn't deserve that and there isn't such a thing as a perfect keeper.

I didn’t say McGregor was the best keeper though. I think Goram and Klos were both probably better goalkeepers than him but I think McGregor is the greatest we’ve had.

In the same sense that John Greig may not be the best player that’s ever played for us but he’s the greatest ever Ranger. There’s a subtle difference.
 
In my lifetime we’ve generally only had 5 or 6 “main” goalkeepers.

- McCloy
- Woods
- Goram
- Klos
- McGregor
- Wes

The others like Walker, Charbonnier, Watterus, Alexander filled in for a season here or there but what a fine selection we’ve had overall.

Who played in goal before we signed Wes? Cammy Bell & Steve Simmo.

For me I think its becoming more and more difficult to split Goram & McGregor.
 
Saw Billy Ritchie play a few times but was too young to properly appreciate his steadiness and no fuss performances at the time. First real Rangers keepers I can properly remember were Norrie Martin and Eric Sorensen, the man in black. Neither were as outstanding as later Rangers goalkeepers would prove to be but instead solid dependable keepers.
 
I’m in my mid 40s and Goram is undoubtedly the best keeper I’ve seen for us, McGregor then Klos too, Chris Woods was also a great keeper though and he really set the standard from 86 onwards.
 
We’ve been fortunate to have plenty of good ones to choose from.

I think most will agree that McGregor has surpassed them all now and is our greatest keeper.

I know a lot will disagree but it’s hard to argue against it now.
Agree with you. McGregor for me is now the best ever.
 
Shagger's last year or so has now pushed him past Goram for me. I've been watching The Rangers since the late 80s and the order for me is:

1. Shagger
2. Goram
3. Klos
4. Woods

We've had some other great keepers like Charbonnier, Wattereus, etc, even Niemi was a class keeper and was our number 3 at one stage. :D

But these 4 will always stand out as the best I've seen.
 
Goram and Greegs are on a par for me but for longevity it has to go to Greegs, 14 years in total to Gorams 7, played 100 games more, same amountb of caps.
 
Foderingham mentioned in the thread. Close to the worst Rangers keeper I've ever seen.
No disrespect to him, but someone has to take that hit.
 
In my life time we have had woods ,goram , klos and McGregor , I think goram wins it hands down with the others all a joint second , mad to think niemi couldn’t even get a game , how good he was
 
I've seen them all from Ritchie onwards. Really difficult choice now between Goram and McGregor for top dog I reckon. Though, bizarrely, its equally true to say that both had/have some flaws in their game - most noticeably for both their haphazard ability when coming off their line to clutch a high ball.
 
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I've seen them all from Ritchie onwards. Really difficult choice now between Goram and McGregor for top dog I reckon. Though, bizarrely, its equally true to say that both had/have some flaws in their game - most noticeably for both their haphazard ability when coming off their line to clutch a high ball.
We have some terrific keepers in my time of watching Rangers (mid '70's on) but only Chris Woods has been able to fully command a penalty area in that time.
 
Cammy Bell. Shudder.:eek:
I don't think Bell was that bad. Wouldn't be good enough for us now but at the level we were playing at he was good enough. The thing that he has against him is that he is only remembered for THAT mistake.
He's not in the same league of any of the other 'keepers mentioned in this thread before you think I'm suggesting that!
 
Find it impossible to separate the top two but going down from there I'd probably have Klos and Woods. The latter much better at commanding his area but Klos had the reflexes of a cat. Goram and McGregor have given us so much though and edge it on overall ability/contribution.

Goram/McGregor
Klos
Woods
 
I don't think Bell was that bad. Wouldn't be good enough for us now but at the level we were playing at he was good enough. The thing that he has against him is that he is only remembered for THAT mistake.
He's not in the same league of any of the other 'keepers mentioned in this thread before you think I'm suggesting that!

I agree. Bell wasnt brilliant , but for a second tier keeper he was fine for us us up until THAT game.
Certainly much better than Simonson.

The irony is he was a fitness doubt before the playoffs against Motherwell and there was a lot of relief amongst our support that managed to make it for that game and we didn’t have to use Simonsen.
 
I saw Fod's stats somewhere in his last season as first choice. He was bang average. He hadn't saved any shots that the opposition were expected to score nor had he let any in he should have saved. That's what I remember of him he was steady. I can't recall any howlers or great saves. He was nowhere near the worst keeper we've had, or the best.
 
He was definitely worse than Sorensen.
It's debatable about the rest...just off the top of my head.
If it's debatable then that's opinion, not off the top of your head. Just saying . He was definitely better than Simonsen, Ginzberg, Alnwick and Sorensen, arguably better than Bell and Maxwell. That's opinion, nothing else
 
Foderingham mentioned in the thread. Close to the worst Rangers keeper I've ever seen.
No disrespect to him, but someone has to take that hit.
Not even close.

Maxwell
Thompson
Scott
Snelders the shitebag
Letizi
Christiansen
Mhyre (ok wasn’t ours but still awful)
Simonsen
Bell

Wes was head and shoulders above all of the above and I’m sure I’ve missed out others
 
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I remember telling my pals at school that Stewart Kennedy was the best goalkeeper I'd ever seen.

Wembley 1975 was a few weeks later!
Stewart Kennedy was absolutely brilliant for Rangers in Season 1974-75. Indeed, he played a blinder for Scotland down in Wales just a week before that game at Wembley, which I also attended.
 
Who?

I didn't say Wes was the worst, but close to the worst.
Who were the "lot" of keepers who were worse?
Ginzburg
Snelders (for us)
Maxwell
Christiansen
Letizi
Simonsen
Myhre

All did considerably poorer jobs for Rangers than Foderingham.
 
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