amabluestar
Well-Known Member
Did big Dave not get sold after a wee fall out with Mr Souness after a sing song at Pittodrie second last game of 87 for singing songs the magnificent bastard didn't approve of?
Walter brought him back.
Brilliant Teenagers
- Thread starter MO_TxTruBlu
- Start date
Did big Dave not get sold after a wee fall out with Mr Souness after a sing song at Pittodrie second last game of 87 for singing songs the magnificent bastard didn't approve of?
Walter brought him back.
Slightly off topic, but it involves a few players mentioned on this thread.
The youngest ever average age of a Rangers team for a league game was on January 1st 1971 away to Falkirk, the day before the disaster game. 2 games in 2 days, manager Waddell brought in a few youngsters and rested a lot of key players for the next day. We lost 3-1 with this eleven who had an average age of 20 years and 317 days.
Peter McCloy age 24
Sandy Jardine age 22
Alex Miller age 21
Alfie Conn age 18
Gus McCallum age 17 (his only ever league appearance)
Colin Jackson age 24
Graham Fyfe age 19
Derek Parlane age 17
Derek Johnstone age 17
Alex MacDonald age 22
Billy Semple age 24
Just a bit of trivia.
The youngest ever average age of a Rangers team for a league game was on January 1st 1971 away to Falkirk, the day before the disaster game. 2 games in 2 days, manager Waddell brought in a few youngsters and rested a lot of key players for the next day. We lost 3-1 with this eleven who had an average age of 20 years and 317 days.
Peter McCloy age 24
Sandy Jardine age 22
Alex Miller age 21
Alfie Conn age 18
Gus McCallum age 17 (his only ever league appearance)
Colin Jackson age 24
Graham Fyfe age 19
Derek Parlane age 17
Derek Johnstone age 17
Alex MacDonald age 22
Billy Semple age 24
Just a bit of trivia.
GovanFront4
Well-Known Member
Gattuso.
GovanFront4
Well-Known Member
Why didn't we play the rats on that date?
We played them the following day, not sure why that date was chosen though.
My first memories of New Year had us playing Partick Thistle on the 1st then Celtic on the 2nd. Thistle had been relegated in 1970, so we played Falkirk instead.
Think this started in the mid to late 60s and stayed for a good few years.
woodieblue
Member
Thought Iain McDougal would make it had a few memorable old firm games scored in the east end and played well in a 3-0 New Year game at Ibrox
Euro Scooter
Well-Known Member
A few interesting names and comments in this thread.
Watching Derek Ferguson and Ian Durrant at 17 and 18 bossing the beasts around on their own midden looked like the start of something special but both got damaged before they could reach their peak.
John Fleck was the best 15 year old I ever saw play. I watched Joe Cole come through at the same age at West Ham and Fleck was a far better player. If he had come through in this Rangers team he would have shone.
John Spencer was a brilliantly natural finisher and another who just never fulfilled his potential.
The Dave McPherson comment threw me. Must have watched him in 100+ games in his first spell and never saw a footballer in there. A good, honest, dogged defender but an accident waiting to happen, mostly.. Saw him tackle himself more than once. Lovely guy though.
Watching Derek Ferguson and Ian Durrant at 17 and 18 bossing the beasts around on their own midden looked like the start of something special but both got damaged before they could reach their peak.
John Fleck was the best 15 year old I ever saw play. I watched Joe Cole come through at the same age at West Ham and Fleck was a far better player. If he had come through in this Rangers team he would have shone.
John Spencer was a brilliantly natural finisher and another who just never fulfilled his potential.
The Dave McPherson comment threw me. Must have watched him in 100+ games in his first spell and never saw a footballer in there. A good, honest, dogged defender but an accident waiting to happen, mostly.. Saw him tackle himself more than once. Lovely guy though.
Sheik Ma Shammy
Well-Known Member
I always thought Charlie Miller was an exceptional talent who could do everything.
GovanFront4
Well-Known Member
Two games in two days, rigorous! I always thought the first game after New Year was the derby.
MO_TxTruBlu
Well-Known Member
Not too many Central Defenders get the nod as teenagers, but George Young did make 36 appearances as a Teenager, and Willie Woodburn made a dozen appearances.
Nothing brilliant in that, but between them they would go on to make over 1000 appearances for Rangers.
Nothing brilliant in that, but between them they would go on to make over 1000 appearances for Rangers.
Business_Bear
Well-Known Member
Did Morelos arrive as a teenager?
Admittedly it would be a stretch to call him brilliant instally!
Admittedly it would be a stretch to call him brilliant instally!
Business_Bear
Well-Known Member
That cross for the Laudrup header will never be forgotten.
Blu_ultra
Well-Known Member
Charlie Miller was outstanding as a teen. He was regarded as better than Clarence Seedorf by Rinus Michels by the Dutch FA. My brother was a ball boy in a closed doors game at Ibrox when he scored 5 against Scotland Schoolboys for Rangers. Where did it go wrong? I saw him fighting and steaming drunk on the 34 bus about 3 weeks after making his debut for us. 
SDR
Well-Known Member
I was at both games, and obviously I knew that DJ was still a boy (albeit, a large boy!) when he won us the League Cup; but I'd completely forgotten that Derek Parlane was still in his teens when he scored against West Germany (or should I say, Bayern?). You're a font of information; I enjoy your posts.
SDR
Well-Known Member
On a "what might have been" basis - Iain McDonald looked like a star in the making, before he was assaulted by a Hibs (ex-Celtc) full back by the name of Shevlane.
MO_TxTruBlu
Well-Known Member
Just to add to your bit of trivia.
The front five Forwards that lined up against Real Madrid for the European Cup away leg in 1963, which has to go down as one of the toughest away fixtures in our entire history,
averaged 19.6 Years of age
Willie Henderson (19)
Alex Willoughby (19)
Jim Forrest (19)
George McLean (20)
Craig Watson (21)
We were missing, McMillan, Millar, Brand and Wilson
derek145
Well-Known Member
Was it not after making a mistake v Hamilton that ended our clean sheet record and put us out the cup?
Hurleyreyes
Well-Known Member
Moses McNeil
Peter McNeil
Peter Campbell
William McBeath
Peter McNeil
Peter Campbell
William McBeath
barrheadbear
Well-Known Member
Big DJ is the obvious one for me. I was just short of my 9th birthday when he introduced himself to the World with his LC winner at age 16.
What a player, what a career.
HamiltonBear
Well-Known Member
MO_TxTruBlu
Well-Known Member
Good spot big man, I struggle to imagine Craig Moore ever being a teenager, but he did in fact have 36 games under his belt as a teenager.
Not too many Central Defenders get the nod as teenagers, but George Young did make 36 appearances as a Teenager, and Willie Woodburn made a dozen appearances.
Nothing brilliant in that, but between them they would go on to make over 1000 appearances for Rangers.
MO_TxTruBlu
Well-Known Member
I make it 27 Goals in 49 Games as a teenage winger, for the great Alec Smith
That has probably not been bettered in 125 years.
As wingers go, I thought that perhaps Davy Wilson or Willie Johnston who both made their debuts as 17 year olds might have challenged that, but they are nowhere near the numbers of the great Alec Smith.
Davy Wilson 7 Goals in 42 Games as a teenager.
In our lifetime I think Willie Johnston is in the Top 4 Teenagers to have played for us.
I can think of only Willie Henderson, Jim Forrest, and Derek Johnstone who could lay claim to that.
Willie Johnston 25 Goals in 104 Games.
I was surprised to find that Alex Scott (just before our time) had some incredible stats as a teenager.
Alex Scott 31 Goals in 77 Games.
Willie Waddell 19 Goals in 78 Games.
Of all the great Wingers we have had in our history,
Sandy Archibald made his debut as a 20 year old, and went on to make 625 appearances.
Probably the greatest of them all Alan Morton made his Rangers debut at 27 years old.
He would go on to give us almost 13 wonderful seasons at Rangers, playing up until a few months shy of his 40th birthday!
But as Teenage Wingers go, Alec Smith is King!
That's a brilliant post.
I remember my dad telling me Alan Morton was in his late 20s when he signed for Rangers and I didn't believe him. Just imagine the career stats he could have had if he had been a Rangers player as a teenager!
Alex Venters
Well-Known Member
We could've played McMillan,Millar,Brand and Wilson in addition to the five boys who did play and still got beat!
MO_TxTruBlu
Well-Known Member
I disagree, we would have won 2-1, and went through on away goals (even though that wisnae a rule then)
Pride myself on being a bit of a nerd, but I’ve never heard of Craig Watson, ever.
To google I go.
Dr Huffhurrrr
Active Member
MO_TxTruBlu
Well-Known Member
He was a very decent Winger (for the most part), but he was not quite as good as Willie Henderson, Davy Wilson or Willie Johnston, and was eventually moved on to Morton.
He was given a run of 6 games at the end of the 62-63 campaign, after we had clinched the League Championship.
He got 11 games in the 63-64 campaign, and was in the side that defeated Morton 5-0 in the League Cup Final, as a replacement for Davy Wilson, who suffered an ankle break in the Semi Final.
He only managed 4 appearances over the next couple of seasons, at Outside Right, in place of the injured Henderson.
The emergence of Willie Johnston in 64' meant his chances were limited, and he joined Morton in 1965, in a swop plus cash deal for Jorn Sorensen.
He was a close friend of Jim Baxter, and despite Watson being diagnosed as suffering from a brain tumour earlier in the year (2001), Watson delayed undergoing surgery to enable him to act as a pall bearer at the funeral of Jim Baxter.
The pall bearers at the funeral were John Greig, Ralph Brand, Alex Willoughby, Sandy Jardine, Craig Watson and Willie Henderson.
Sadly Craig Watson passed away a few months later at the age of 59.
Another good friend of Watson was Alex Willoughby, who also sadly passed away at the age of 59.
Here is a photo of Craig Watson, alongside George McLean, Jim Forrest, Alex Willoughby, and Davie Provan.
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huistra23
Well-Known Member
But for a horrendous tackle by Hibs Schaedler,Ian McDonald,could have been right up there
It was Chris Shevlane that done Ian McDonald
huistra23
Well-Known Member
Correct,old age is a curse
Did Sir Alex Ferguson not elbow Gus McCallum in the face?
