For those who thought Derek Johnstone was all about headed goals

dh1963

dh1963

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3 examples of how fantastic a player DJ was. Our second highest goalscorer since WW2 with 211 goals, even though he played for a significant time at centre half, he never took a penalty and he was more or less finished in his late 20s.






 
Funny how your mid works, well my mind 'works, anyway. I'd forgotten that I met DJ and big Jim Holton in a wine bar in Manchester when we played them in a friendly sometime in the 70s.
- when I say 'met', they were already in and we went over and pestered them.
 
Frustrating but fabulous player, his winner in the SC Final at such a young age will never be forgotten by anyone that was there.
 
I think I'm right in saying Derek Johnstone was only sent off twice in over 500 Rangers games, and both were against teams from Switzerland!
 
Captain Cutlass said:
I really hope that some of the posters on here that mistakenly class him as some sort of "Uncle Tom" take note of what a Rangers Legend he is.
That comment will I'm sure get a few posters hot under the collar but Big DJ was and always will be a true Legendary Ranger!
Click to expand...
On the park, absolutely.

Off it? Not a chance.
 
Some player, and my first hero. If he'd not spent 3 or 4 years playing at the back he could have been ahead of McCoist in the goals totals, or at least ran him close. Apparently he was pretty good in goal too and they used to say if the keeper was injured or sent off he'd be the one to take over between the sticks. Thanks for posting op!
 
He scored something like 41 goals for Rangers & Scotland during season 77/78 but despite this I seem to remember him stating that centre half was his preferred position. The TV panel during the ‘78 World Cup included Brian Clough who was incredulous about this, saying something like scoring goals was the most incredible feeling any footballer could get and there was something wrong when somebody who had such a talent for doing just that preferred to play in defence.
 
He was brilliant and for me possibly his best header ever was against Wales.

But not as good as Colin Stein's against Hibs.:D
 
Whoever said DJ was one dimensional?

I saw his entire career.
He was a guy who could have made it in almost any position on the park.

Crazy to say it, but he might have had a better and longer career had he stayed in the back four!
But also, amazingly watching him, he would have made a fantastic defensive midfielder of real international class.
But I would have no qualms with him playing as an inside forward, and often he did slip in there.
Today he would be asked to play as a modern number ten, or more likely a lone striker, or just an old-fashioned target man.

Ffsake, I watched him play all of those positions at one time or another.
He was simply a fckn great football player, who bizarrely should actually have got more out of his career.
Somehow I don't think he was handled properly.
 
Commentator said:
Funny how your mid works, well my mind 'works, anyway. I'd forgotten that I met DJ and big Jim Holton in a wine bar in Manchester when we played them in a friendly sometime in the 70s.
- when I say 'met', they were already in and we went over and pestered them.
Click to expand...
August 1974, mate. We won 3-2
 
Captain Cutlass said:
I really hope that some of the posters on here that mistakenly class him as some sort of "Uncle Tom" take note of what a Rangers Legend he is.
That comment will I'm sure get a few posters hot under the collar but Big DJ was and always will be a true Legendary Ranger!
Click to expand...

I always think that it must be hard for a lot of our younger supporters to realise just how great a player Derek Johnstone was. He will always be an absolute legend to the Bears of my generation.
 
bilkobear said:
Whoever said DJ was one dimensional?

I saw his entire career.
He was a guy who could have made it in almost any position on the park.

Crazy to say it, but he might have had a better and longer career had he stayed in the back four!
But also, amazingly watching him, he would have made a fantastic defensive midfielder of real international class.
But I would have no qualms with him playing as an inside forward, and often he did slip in there.
Today he would be asked to play as a modern number ten, or more likely a lone striker, or just an old-fashioned target man.

Ffsake, I watched him play all of those positions at one time or anotherHe was simply a fckn greatwhobizarrely should actually have got more out of his career.
Somehow I don't think he was handled properly.
Click to expand...

You know, back in the day, if we’d lost our keeper, Johnstone would’ve taken the jersey!
 
Big DJ feeding off wee Tommy McLean's immaculate cross balls was fantastic , but he did score a fair few crackers with his boots too.

Was his goal against the beggars in 75 our first ever against them in the newly formed 10 team Premier league ?
 
bilkobear said:
Whoever said DJ was one dimensional?

I saw his entire career.
He was a guy who could have made it in almost any position on the park.

Crazy to say it, but he might have had a better and longer career had he stayed in the back four!
But also, amazingly watching him, he would have made a fantastic defensive midfielder of real international class.
But I would have no qualms with him playing as an inside forward, and often he did slip in there.
Today he would be asked to play as a modern number ten, or more likely a lone striker, or just an old-fashioned target man.

Ffsake, I watched him play all of those positions at one time or another.
He was simply a fckn great football player, who bizarrely should actually have got more out of his career.
Somehow I don't think he was handled properly.
Perfect summary.
Should be on his headstone when his time comes.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Purplestar said:
Big DJ feeding off wee Tommy McLean's immaculate cross balls was fantastic , but he did score a fair few crackers with his boots too.

Was his goal against the beggars in 75 our first ever against them in the newly formed 10 team Premier league ?
Click to expand...

Yes mate it was....
 
bilkobear said:
Whoever said DJ was one dimensional?

I saw his entire career.
He was a guy who could have made it in almost any position on the park.

Crazy to say it, but he might have had a better and longer career had he stayed in the back four!
But also, amazingly watching him, he would have made a fantastic defensive midfielder of real international class.
But I would have no qualms with him playing as an inside forward, and often he did slip in there.
Today he would be asked to play as a modern number ten, or more likely a lone striker, or just an old-fashioned target man.

Ffsake, I watched him play all of those positions at one time or another.
He was simply a fckn great football player, who bizarrely should actually have got more out of his career.
Somehow I don't think he was handled properly.
Click to expand...
Perfect summary.
Could be put on his headstone when the time comes.
 
I remember when they done the best ever Rangers 11 and hateley got the nod over big DJ, I thought he was a class above hateley yet my dad whose 85 thinks hateley was better :confused:all about opinions I suppose
 
Purplestar said:
Big DJ feeding off wee Tommy McLean's immaculate cross balls was fantastic , but he did score a fair few crackers with his boots too.

Was his goal against the beggars in 75 our first ever against them in the newly formed 10 team Premier league ?
Click to expand...
Hate to hear him being bad mouthed,if you cut the guy open he'd bleed blue blood,a true Rangers legend and always like to hear and read what he has to say.
 
McLeoud should have played him in Argentina 78, he was the best striker in Britain at the time and was crucial in qualifying, why he was left on the bench ?
 
Outstanding player for us I would have him in the greatest Rangers team ahead of Mark Hateley but that's for another debate.

DJ and Doddy were and still are my favourite ever Rangers players.
 
Here’s a surprising stat - Mark Hateley bagged a few goals against the dhims but not one of them was a header!
 
Ally MacLeod preferred Joe Jordan who at the time had scored less goals in his whole career than DJ scored in the season leading up to the 78 world cup.
 
dh1963 said:
I think I'm right in saying Derek Johnstone was only sent off twice in over 500 Rangers games, and both were against teams from Switzerland!
Click to expand...

Yip,he used to go cuckoo in Switzerland.

DJ was/is the best header of the ball I've seen. He was the master of attacking the front post too. Not too shabby at the back stick either. He had a velvet touch too.
A bona fide Rangers legend who should've been in the Greatest XI without a doubt.
 
bilkobear said:
Whoever said DJ was one dimensional?

I saw his entire career.
He was a guy who could have made it in almost any position on the park.

Crazy to say it, but he might have had a better and longer career had he stayed in the back four!
But also, amazingly watching him, he would have made a fantastic defensive midfielder of real international class.
But I would have no qualms with him playing as an inside forward, and often he did slip in there.
Today he would be asked to play as a modern number ten, or more likely a lone striker, or just an old-fashioned target man.

Ffsake, I watched him play all of those positions at one time or another.
He was simply a fckn great football player, who bizarrely should actually have got more out of his career.
Somehow I don't think he was handled properly.
Click to expand...

Great post and when you think about it the sitting midfield role was made for him.
In saying that he was a great centre back and a great centre forward too.
I suppose when you have a goalscorer of Johnstone's class available the temptation to play him up front is simply too hard to resist....goals win games.
 
No coincidence that DJs best years were when we kept his weight down and his fitness up, his spell at Chelsea and under Jim McLean were the same but as soon as he came back to us he ballooned and the goals died up.
 
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