Rangers History Alex Willoughby

MO_TxTruBlu

MO_TxTruBlu

Well-Known Member
Alex Willoughby, an Inside Right, was a great wee player from the 1960's, that is too often overlooked.

He was born in Springburn Glasgow on 17th September 1944, and along with his cousin Jim Forrest, became a product of the famous Drumchapel Amateurs.
Both boys went on to win Scottish schoolboy caps, before being signed by Rangers as 15 year olds.

Willoughby made his debut (in place of Ian McMillan) towards the end of the 62-63 season in a 3-1 home League win v Queen of the South, three days after Rangers had secured the Double with that 3-0 easy easy Cup Final win v Celtic.
The Line up that day
Ritchie Shearer, Provan, Davis, McKinnon, Baxter, Henderson, Willoughby, Millar, Brand and Wilson.

Willoughby kept his place in the side the following week as Rangers traveled across the city to Shawfield and registered a 3-1 win v Clyde,with the impressive 18 year old Willoughby scoring twice.

The following season (63-64) as Rangers marched to the Treble, saw Willoughby restricted to only 8 appearances.
His return of 4 goals indicated much promise.
He made his European Cup debut in front of 80,000 fans at the Bernabeu' when he was surprisingly selected for the away leg v Real Madrid.
His only highlight of that evening was when the great Ferenc Puskas, who scored a hat trick that night, handed his number 10 shirt to the teenager, at the end of the match.
Willoughby collected his first winners medal in October 63', when Rangers beat Morton 5-0 in the League Cup Final before a crowd of 105,907.
In what was known as the family final, Willoughby scored one, with his cousin Jim Forrest banging in the other four. (all goals scored in the second half).

Despite Rangers struggles in the 64-65 season, Willoughby was afforded only 5 appearances.
In only his second appearance that season on April 3rd, Rangers hammered Falkirk 6-1 at Ibrox with Forrest scoring 4 again, and Willoughby scoring the other 2.

The 65-66 season saw Willoughby establish himself in the Inside Right position, as he registered 34 appearances in all competitions, with a return of 12 goals.
Highlights from that season included scoring both goals at Easter Rd in a 2-1 win v Hibs in Oct, scoring the only goal in a tight Scottish Cup Quarter Final match v St Johnstone, and scoring the winner at Pittodrie in a 2-1 win v Aberdeen when Rangers came back from 0-1 down, in Apr.

Even with such an impressive goalscoring record for an Inside Forward, of 20 goals in 50 appearances in the past four seasons,the 66-67 season looked to be the end of the road for Willoughby.
Five months and 36 games into the season, and Willoughby had not been selected to start in any of them, and had been given only one brief appearance as a substitute.

Then came Berwick.

Both strikers, Jim Forrest and George McLean were never to play for Rangers again.
Alex Smith who had scored 19 goals in 35 games as an Inside Right was moved to Centre Forward, and Alex Willoughby was back in the team at Inside Right.
Willoughby's impact was nothing short of incredible.
His first start of the season, and he scores a Hat Trick in a 5-1 win v Hearts at Ibrox.
Four days later, and he secures back to back Hat Tricks in a 5-1 win v Clyde at Shawfield.
(Clyde finished 3rd in the League that season).
The following Saturday Rangers travel to Kilmarnock (Russian Prime Minister Alexei Kosygin attended this match).
Kilmarnock were no mugs either back then, they would go all the way to the Semi Finals of the Fairs Cup that season.
In a tightly fought contest, Rangers took the lead in 55 mins through Davy Wilson, only for Kilmarnock to equalise 17 mins later, It was then left up to Alex Willoughby to round off a superb week, by scoring the winner to give Rangers both points.
His next game was his first European appearance of the season, against Real Zaragossa from Spain, and again he scored one in an impressive 2-0 win at Ibrox.
Back to the Scottish League four days later, and this phenomenal scoring continues, as Willoughby scores FOUR in a 5-1 rout at Motherwell.
This takes his tally to 12 goals in 5 games
Two goals in a 4-1 win at Ayr United, are followed up with a wonderful diving header to secure the winner in a 4-3 win v St Johnstone at Ibrox, that keeps us within 2 points of Celtic.
The following week with Celtic playing in the Cup, Rangers have the chance to draw level on points with a home League game v Dunfermline.
Unfortunately, Willoughby did not play in this game,
and Rangers who had dropped only 1 point all season long at Ibrox, lose 0-1 at home to Dunfermline.
Three days later, Rangers sign inside right Andy Penman from Dundee, though he is ineligible for the rest of the season.
The following Saturday, Rangers travel to Stirling Albion, and Willoughby, back in the side, scores the winner.
No game the following week as Scotland travel to Wembley to record a 3-2 win against the World Champions.
Rangers resume League play the following Saturday with a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Clyde.
The following Saturday see Rangers travel to Dundee, whilst Celtic are winning their second Cup of the season with a 2-0 win v Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup Final.
Rangers who trail Dundee by a goal, are thrown a Championship lifeline yet again by Alex Willoughby who scores an invaluable equaliser.
Four days later, Rangers secure their place in the European Cup Winners Cup Final, as Celtic drop 2 points at home in a shock 2-3 loss to Dundee Utd, in the League
The situation is now thus.
Both Glasgow giants will contest in Europe's two big Finals.
Rangers on 54 points from 33 games will play Celtic (on 55 points from 32 games) at Ibrox in their final League game of the season.
This is a must win game for Rangers if they are to win the Championship.
Incredibly so,
Alex Willoughby, who has scored 17 goals in 14 games is DROPPED for Rangers two most important games of the season, and is replaced by a defender of sorts (Roger Hynd), who has made not one start all season long
(Rangers fail to win either game).

Despite such an incredible humiliation (which must be second only to his cousin's binning after Berwick), Willoughby stayed at Rangers.

With four new signings, Willoughby got nowhere near the first team in the first 11 games of the season (67-68).
In the middle of October, with Henderson out with a fractured jaw, Persson was moved to outside right and Symon recalled Willoughby to the side, at inside left.
Willoughby played in Symon's last three games, before he was fired.
When White took over on Nov 1st, he dropped Willoughby for his first three games, but installed him in his next game, a table top clash at home to Hibs.
This was an ill tempered affair that saw Alex Ferguson and Colin Stein (Hibs) sent off for fighting.
As Rangers hung on to a 1-0 lead (Greig pen 34 mins), it was Alex Willoughby who secured the points with a second goal five minutes from the end.
Willoughby made 20 starts (3 sub) for White that season scoring 10 goals.
His most important goal came at Kilmarnock in the penultimate League game of the season, when he came off the bench to score the winner.
This kept White's unbeaten League record at 22 wins and 3 draws in 25 games.

Willoughby made only 4 appearances (3 starts 1 sub) in the 68-69 season.
His final appearance in a Rangers shirt oddly enough was with a No 7 on the back.
It was also Alex MacDonald's debut, having been signed four days earlier.
Nov 23rd 1968, Clyde 1-1 Rangers (Stein)
Martin, Johansen, Mathieson, Greig, McKinnon, D.Smith, Willoughby, MacDonald, Stein, Johnston, Persson.
Only McKinnon (and Henderson who was injured) remained from the team he made his debut in five and a half years earlier.
Willoughby was transferred to Aberdeen in the summer of 69' for £25,000 to rejoin his cousin Jim Forrest.

Alex Willoughby was at Ibrox for virtually the entire decade that was the Sixties, and yet he played in less than 100 games.

This famous quote (taken from Rangers Media) that I was previously unaware of, does show an incredible level of loyalty that we would never see in today's game, and is one of those stories etched into Ibrox folklore.
Alex Willoughby explaining to an astonished press pack why he had rejected a glamour move to English giants Manchester United – “they can’t give me the blue shirt of the Rangers”

His record of 47 Goals scored in 95 Games (90 starts, 5 subs) is still very impressive for an Inside Forward.
 
66a55f997cdb8d65cef8c09d13fdedaf.jpg
 
Effectively sacking Jim Forrest and George McLean after Berwick was something that undoubtedly cost us dearly that season!!
Similarly, dropping Willoughby (and Davie Wilson) in 2 of our most important games at the end of the season is really difficult to understand...especially the form both were in at the time!!
We really did make some huge managerial mistakes that season!!
 
L/COLNEYBEAR said:
0-5 win over Morton was my first Rangers game. A memory I'll take with me to the grave.
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Seem to recall that game was a semi-final at Hampden. Jim Forrest scored most of the goals, he may have got four, but Alex Willoughby had a great game that day.
 
Mr Willoughby worked with my wife for a number of years with Burns and Stewart whisky distillers in Barrhead.
Perfect gentleman.
 
Tomted said:
Seem to recall that game was a semi-final at Hampden. Jim Forrest scored most of the goals, he may have got four, but Alex Willoughby had a great game that day.
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It was the League Cup Final

"Willoughby collected his first winners medal in October 63', when Rangers beat Morton 5-0 in the League Cup Final before a crowd of 105,907.
In what was known as the family final, Willoughby scored one, with his cousin Jim Forrest banging in the other four. (all goals scored in the second half). "

Jim Forrest did indeed score most of the goals in that years competition, scoring 16 Goals in 10 Games.
The following season 64-65 he scored 18 Goals in 10 Games in the same competition, including a brace in both the Semi Final and Final.
 
I guess Scot Symon was not a great tactical coach from start to finish as Rangers manager, quite a few really bad results in his time, although he was ultimately treated unfairly by John Lawrence.
 
Fantastic article, and as damning of some managerial decisions as it was praising the record of a fine underrated Ranger.
 
htws said:
I guess Scot Symon was not a great tactical coach from start to finish as Rangers manager, quite a few really bad results in his time, although he was ultimately treated unfairly by John Lawrence.
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Whit?
From start to finish (54-67),
We won 6 League Titles between 56-64 (when Scotland actually had some really good teams in Hearts, Dundee and Kilmarnock)
We won 5 Scottish Cups.
We won 4 League Cups
We won 6 Domestic Trophies on the trot in the 18 month period between April 63 and Oct 64'.
Symon took us to TWO European Finals, and to the Semi Finals of the European Cup, and we also defeated the best team in the world (Inter Milan) in 1965 (without Baxter).
When he was sacked in Nov 67', we were top of the League, undefeated, having already beaten Celtic (the European Champions).
In his last 40 League Games over the previous 13 months, we had suffered defeat only twice
(both to Dunfermline).

Since 1960, Symon led Rangers to 11 Scottish Cup/League Cup Finals out of a possible 15, winning 9 of them.
After Symon was dismissed, we reached 4 of the next 15 Scottish Cup/League Cup Finals, winning 2 of them.

Scot Symon won 6 League Titles in 9 seasons, between 1956 and 1964.
It took a further 6 Managers and 23 seasons, before Rangers would win 6 League Titles again!
 
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MO_TxTruBlu said:
Whit?
From start to finish (54-67),
We won 6 League Titles between 56-64 (when Scotland actually had some really good teams in Hearts, Dundee and Kilmarnock)
We won 5 Scottish Cups.
We won 4 League Cups
We won 6 Domestic Trophies on the trot in the 18 month period between April 63 and Oct 64'.
Symon took us to TWO European Finals, and to the Semi Finals of the European Cup, and we also defeated the best team in the world (Inter Milan) in 1965 (without Baxter).
When he was sacked in Nov 67', we were top of the League, undefeated, having already beaten Celtic (the European Champions).
In his last 40 League Games over the previous 13 months, we had suffered defeat only twice
(both to Dunfermline).

Since 1960, Symon led Rangers to 11 Scottish Cup/League Cup Finals out of a possible 15, winning 9 of them.
After Symon was dismissed, we reached 4 of the next 15 Scottish Cup/League Cup Finals, winning 2 of them.

Scot Symon won 6 League Titles in 9 seasons, between 1956 and 1964.
It took a further 6 Managers and 23 seasons, before Rangers would win 6 League Titles again!
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I think your argument won :))
 
A very talented, sophisticated and often under appreciated player. The fact that we didn’t make much more use of his obvious talents ranks with the other incredibly foolish decisions made at the time regarding binning Forrest and McLean and playing Hynd at centre forward (no criticism of Hynd himself - he gave his all wherever he was selected to play for the team).
 
Davidsmith1 said:
Did they say he wasnt a good coach? Not aware of this.
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I think Baxter was even more explicit. He basically implied that if ba face had been in charge of the Rangers team of his era then we could have won the big one with the talent at his disposal.

I don't want this to start going down the route of a Scot Symon bashing when this is aa thread about a very underrated Rangers player.

But there's been a few ex players from that era have voiced their thoughts on the matter.

For me Scot Symon was old school, a follow on from Struth were as the likes of Shankly and ba face were addressing a more modern type of game, especially in getting to grips with Europe.

Now I could be wrong there, but that's just my opinion. Now it could be argued that Busby was old school too, but there we go.
 
I have fond memories of meeting both Forrest and Willoughby in my Uncle Jimmy's house in Midton Street, Springburn when I was a teenager. Alex Willoughby lived round the corner.

My Uncle was Treasurer of the local Rangers Supporters Club and they had come up to pay their dues.

They spent a little time with me and my brother as they knew we were both bluenoses.

I think both Alec and Martin Ferguson were members of the same Rangers Supporters Club although I never met either of them.
 
It was Alex Willoughby who presented our team with our winners medals after we won a schools' under 11 competition at the then Scotstoun Showground. I was goalkeeper for Broomhill Primary School. That was in about 1968.
 
A great, vastly underrated player as was his cousin Jim Forrest. We should have built a team round the pair of them.
 
wee bud's pit boots said:
I think Baxter was even more explicit. He basically implied that if ba face had been in charge of the Rangers team of his era then we could have won the big one with the talent at his disposal.

I don't want this to start going down the route of a Scot Symon bashing when this is aa thread about a very underrated Rangers player.

But there's been a few ex players from that era have voiced their thoughts on the matter.

For me Scot Symon was old school, a follow on from Struth were as the likes of Shankly and ba face were addressing a more modern type of game, especially in getting to grips with Europe.

Now I could be wrong there, but that's just my opinion. Now it could be argued that Busby was old school too, but there we go.
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I've often read that Symon was not a great technical coach, and that his instructions were basically 'gie the ba' to Baxter' etc.
I think it's a myth, much in the same way as
'if Baxter had not suffered that leg break in Nov 64', we would have won the European Cup'.

The facts are, that over the course of that 64-65 season, we did only lose 1 League match in Baxter's absence (12 Games).
With Baxter in the side, we lost 7 League Games (in 22 appearances), and lost the only Scottish Cup tie he played in, on his comeback
(this being our only Domestic Cup defeat in two and half years/36 Cup Ties).
The truth is that by the latter part of 64' Baxter was no longer the player he once was.
I challenge anyone to give me 5 examples of where Baxter was outstanding/significant in any 5 games over the next 5 years, with Rangers, Sunderland, or Nottingham Forest.

I will cite 2 examples of where Symon deployed some technical nous, one that worked, and one that didn't, but it certainly dispels the myth that he picked his favoured XI and told them to just go and play your game.
Playing the World Champions Inter Milan in the San Siro in 65', Symon opted to play Centre Forward Jimmy Millar as a man to man marker, in a defensive role, and it worked a treat for 45 mins.
Disastrously, we lost 3 goals in 3 min, at the start of the second half (two of them via deflections), and it was virtually an impossible situation to recover from.
We did manage one goal in that second half, to give us a bit of hope, (the only goal Inter conceded that season at home in Europe, including the Final).
In the return game, a George McLean shot that rattled the crossbar, was the difference of us forcing a Play Off against the best side in the World.
Bill Shankly's Liverpool got Inter in the Semi Final, and secured a fabulous 3-1 win at Anfield in the first leg.
In the return game, that 2 goal advantage was wiped out within the first 10 mins, and Inter went on to win 3-0.
Inter Milan would beat the great Benfica 1-0 in the Final in the San Siro.
A few months later, Rangers would defeat that great Benfica side 3-1 at Ibrox (albeit a friendly).

Another example would be the 65-66 season, when Celtic now under Jock Stein (who had collected the Scottish Cup in 65', their first trophy in 7 years), had won the League Cup defeating us 2-1 in the Final, and had skelped us 5-1 in the Ne'erday League fixture at the Piggary Ice Rink.
(incidentally, Symon had WON all 10 of the previous Ne'erday encounters, home and away).
A disastrous March 66' for us, saw Celtic under Jock Stein now heading for their first Treble.
Symon opted once again to rely on that old warhorse Jimmy Millar.
Millar, who had made only 1 appearance in our first 37 games that season (our opening fixture),
was drafted back into the side (as a Wing Half, his original position, way back when we signed him a decade or so previously).
Rangers would go on to win all of their last 7 league games, which still wasn't enough to pip Celtic for the Title, who won it by 2 points (their First Title in 12 Years).
We had got to the Scottish Cup Final against Celtic, who were now shit hot favourites to win the Treble, but it was a Jimmy Millar inspired performance in the middle of the park, that denied them that first Treble, via the Kai Johansen special in the replay.

As stated previously, Scot Symon suffered only 2 League defeats in his last 40 League matches (both against Dunfermline), before he was Dismissed.
This, despite being up against the greatest Celtic side ever, and having lost the services of such greats as Shearer, Caldow, Baxter, McMillan and Brand, for all of those games, and Millar, Wilson Forrest and McLean for a large chunk of them.

It is a well known fact that Scot Symon was treated very shabbily by our board/Chairman at the time of his dismissal, but it is even more galling that so many of our support are happy to peddle this myth that Symon didn't really know what he was doing.

Scot Symon was the most successful British Manager at the time of his dismissal.

Despite this much proclaimed supposed tactical ineptness,
Scot Symon still guided Rangers to 2 European Finals in the 1960's,
which is twice as many as Bill Shankly's Liverpool, Matt Busby's Manchester Utd,
Bill Nicholson's Tottenham, and Jock Stein's Celtic, Managed to achieve in the 1960's.
 
Every year, usually around late March, a thread will appear on here about Alex Willoughby and it sets me off. Those of us who saw Alex Willoughby - especially that season - will never forget him nor understand why Scot Symon decided to drop him from the first team in the weeks running up to the conclusion of the 1966/67 season. That decision by Symon probably cost us a European trophy.
 
jimbear said:
Every year, usually around late March, a thread will appear on here about Alex Willoughby and it sets me off. Those of us who saw Alex Willoughby - especially that season - will never forget him nor understand why Scot Symon decided to drop him from the first team in the weeks running up to the conclusion of the 1966/67 season. That decision by Symon probably cost us a European trophy.
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Probably? Definitely!

I still have nightmares about it.
 
Bearsden Bear said:
Probably? Definitely!

I still have nightmares about it.
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I could take you through the events of the last seven weeks of that season as if it was yesterday. Regarding Willoughby, the best article that I ever read about him was written by Bob Crampsey after Willoughby died. Crampsey was friendly with him as they both shared a keen interest in cricket. Willoughby told Crampsey that Sym on never ever told him why he was dropped. Years later when Symon was managing at Firhill he asked Willoughby to meet him at the ground. Willoughby thought that Symon was finally going to explain the reason to him. All that happened at the meeting was that Symon gave him a cup of tea and they had a chat about old times. No explanation was ever given to Alex Willoughby and for the rest of his life he remained as mystified as the rest of us.
 
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Alex Venters said:
You can add Ian McMillan and Ralphie Brand to the list.
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Sadly, this thread which was intended to be a testament to Alex Willoughby, a very gifted, and often overlooked player from the 1960's, has turned into a series of various pops at a Great Rangers Manager, who delighted those that were fortunate enough to witness his wonderful Rangers team of the early 1960's, which could be reasonably argued, to be the greatest Rangers team of all time.


I am assuming that any disparaging comments made about Scot Symon,
by the two former players that you mention,
were made after

(a) Ian McMillan at 32/33 years old was been phased out of the side by a young John Greig, a George McLean signing, or a promising youngster in Alex Willoughby.
and
(b) Ralph Brand, after he was deemed surplus to requirements at the end of the 64-65 season,
despite scoring 15 Goals in 32 appearances,
whilst a youngster by the name of Jim Forrest had banged in 57 Goals in 50 games, in that very same 1964-65 season,
and Inside Left George McLean would go on to score 39 Goals in 34 Games the following season (1965-66) with Jim Forrest scoring 34 Goals. (that's a whopping 73 Goals between them in one season)

For the record, Ralph Brand moved to Second Division, Man City in the summer of 1965,
where in the following 2 seasons (65-67), he scored 2 Goals in 22 appearances!

Would I be right?
 
Recalled to the side after Berwick,
Alex Willoughby's phenomenal scoring rate continues, as he scores Four in a 5-1 rout at Motherwell.

This takes his tally to 12 goals in 5 games!

ce72478e8ff52e73471d730a6f296e1c.jpg
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
Sadly, this thread which was intended to be a testament to Alex Willoughby, a very gifted, and often overlooked player from the 1960's, has turned into a series of various pops at a Great Rangers Manager, who delighted those that were fortunate enough to witness his wonderful Rangers team of the early 1960's, which could be reasonably argued, to be the greatest Rangers team of all time.


I am assuming that any disparaging comments made about Scot Symon,
by the two former players that you mention,
were made after

(a) Ian McMillan at 32/33 years old was been phased out of the side by a young John Greig, a George McLean signing, or a promising youngster in Alex Willoughby.
and
(b) Ralph Brand, after he was deemed surplus to requirements at the end of the 64-65 season,
despite scoring 15 Goals in 32 appearances,
whilst a youngster by the name of Jim Forrest had banged in 57 Goals in 50 games, in that very same 1964-65 season,
and Inside Left George McLean would go on to score 39 Goals in 34 Games the following season (1965-66) with Jim Forrest scoring 34 Goals. (that's a whopping 73 Goals between them in one season)

For the record, Ralph Brand moved to Second Division, Man City in the summer of 1965,
where in the following 2 seasons (65-67), he scored 2 Goals in 22 appearances!

Would I be right?
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It was not my intention to cast any slur on Scot Symon. I was merely pointing out that in addition to Caldow and Baxter, that Ian McMillan and Ralph Brand had spoken of Symon in, shall we say, less than glowing terms. I don't even know exactly what was said by either player! I know the McMillan comments were from an interview conducted by Archie McPherson and that Symon raised the matter with Archie on the way to a game against Dundee. I believe that IM was very critical of Symon in a tactical sense.
As for RB, I've been told it was a series of newspaper articles in the aftermath of his departure, he also tried, unsuccessfully, to stop publication of these articles. So in RB's case it could well be a case of sour grapes,less so I think in McMillan's case given that he'd left a year or two earlier.
 
Alex Venters said:
Imagine having three teenagers of that quality at our disposal right now!
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Yes indeed.

Jim Forrest opened his scoring account for Rangers as an 18 Year Old
at the Piggery with a brace in a 3-0 rout. in Aug 63'.
Less than three months later, he scored 4 Goals in the League Cup Final 5-0 v Morton
(his cousin Alex Willoughby scoring the other).
This took Forrest's total to 27 Goals in 20 Games that season so far!
I pretty certain he must be the only teenager to have scored 4 Goals in a Cup Final.
Forrest would go on to score 55 Goals in 52 Games whilst still a teenager!

Alex Willoughby only managed a dozen appearances as a teenager, but still scored an impressive 6 goals in those 12 games.
He was competing for that Inside Right position with Ian McMillan, John Greig, and George McLean

Willie Henderson made his Rangers debut as a raw 17 year old, and was so impressive that he would displace Scotland's Right Winger, Alex Scott at Ibrox.
Henderson quickly became the Star of that famous Rangers front five of
Henderson, McMillan, Millar, Brand and Wilson.
Henderson won his first cap for Scotland at aged 18 (replacing Alex Scott) on 20th Oct 1962, scoring the decisive third goal in a 3-2 win over Wales at Ninian Park.
A classic Scottish forward line of Henderson, White, St John, Law and Wilson.
To this day, Henderson is the second youngest debutant for the National side since 1929.
In the last 90 years, only Denis Law (by 31 days) was younger when making his debut for Scotland.
Henderson also scored in his second appearance three weeks later in 5-1 win v N.Ireland at Hampden.
In Feb 63' Alex Scott (having made only 4 League appearances that season) moved to Everton.
In April, Henderson would tear the English defence to ribbons, as 10 man Scotland claimed a famous 2-1 victory at Wembley.
In June, Henderson scored in the Bernabeu as Scotland hammered Spain 6-2.
Henderson won 10 Caps for Scotland, and made over 100 appearances for Rangers as a teenager.
 
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