Gordon Durie

TheOldFashioned

TheOldFashioned

Active Member
Though I can’t find it now I’m sure there was a thread regarding your most ‘underrated Rangers player’ and I was so very keen to reply. I had seen a number of names mentioned, not least of all a player like Stuart McCall who was a favourite of mine as a teenager. Looking back now however I can’t help but remember the contribution that Durie made to our 9IAR success and the sheer effort and determination that man out in. Rangers fans are as harsh as any and I do remember Durie being on the pointed end of a good section of the fan’s points of view at the times. If only we’d realised what fortunate times we lived in and what we wouldn’t give for a similar player right now.
 
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I think those who give him stick just think of his 97/98 season. According to Wiki he had a return of 9 goals in 39 games which isn’t great.
 
tazzabear said:
Didn’t really matter.
Scored against the others which, ultimately, hurt them maybe even more.
I can’t believe how much emphasis is put on made up, designed to be negative, statistics .
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For starters, I wasn’t being negative I was just saying I couldn’t believe he didn’t score against Celtic.

Secondly, it’s not “made up” is it?

Thirdly, Durie is rightly a Rangers legend and takes his place amongst many of the other legendary team of that era.
 
I remember coming back from Rugby Park circa season 95/96 or thereabouts, anyway we won 2-0 I think and Durie had sustained a really bad head knock. The physio comes on, bandaged him up and we are good to go. A few minutes later Durie collapses on the far side from the dugout area. He’s then stretchered off.
We get back on the bus and Radio Scotland is on and they are talking about him like he had died as result of the head knock!!!
It was a rather sobering moment, but as we all know he lived happily ever after.
Was his first game for us away to Partick Thistle (0-0)?
Footnote to the bold Durie clan, my now wife once went out with his brother Campbell….
 
CLSFB said:
For starters, I wasn’t being negative I was just saying I couldn’t believe he didn’t score against Celtic.

Secondly, it’s not “made up” is it?

Thirdly, Durie is rightly a Rangers legend and takes his place amongst many of the other legendary team of that era.
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Whether you were being negative or not, it was a negative comment.
I didn’t explain myself properly with the “made up” comment.
Of course, the stat in itself is factual but it’s importance, my intended point, is unimportant.
 
Kris1872 said:
I think those who give him stick just think of his 97/98 season. According to Wiki he had a return of 9 goals in 39 games which isn’t great.
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He was circa 33 by then and defo on slide.

He had a brilliant career. Excellent in England from early 20’s until he joined us at 27, particularly at Chelsea. i always thought he did well in Europe and for Scotland.

Wasn’t the greatest but then again, look what we’ve had to watch this year in Dessers and Danilo ffs. Both who couldn’t measure up to Duries left bawsack.
 
Gordon Durie is the guy that immediately springs to mind and reminds me of the good old days, pre transfer windows when you could buy whenever you pleased, and Rangers having money to spend the equal of any team in Britain. We needed a striker when McCoist was injured so off we went and spent £1.2m (was it?) to bring in Durie from Spurs. A not inconsiderable amount back then.
 
Bobby Russell's Perm said:
I remember coming back from Rugby Park circa season 95/96 or thereabouts, anyway we won 2-0 I think and Durie had sustained a really bad head knock. The physio comes on, bandaged him up and we are good to go. A few minutes later Durie collapses on the far side from the dugout area. He’s then stretchered off.
We get back on the bus and Radio Scotland is on and they are talking about him like he had died as result of the head knock!!!
It was a rather sobering moment, but as we all know he lived happily ever after.
Was his first game for us away to Partick Thistle (0-0)?
Footnote to the bold Durie clan, my now wife once went out with his brother Campbell….
Click to expand...
Wasn't that 97/8, 1-1, Jonas Thern scored.
 
TheOldFashioned said:
Though I can’t find it now I’m sure there was a thread regarding your most ‘underrated Rangers player’ and I was so very keen to reply. I had seen a number of names mentioned, not least of all a player like Stuart McCall who was a favourite of mine as a teenager. Looking back now however I can’t help but remember the contribution that Durie made to our 9IAR success and the sheer effort and determination that man out in. Rangers fans are as harsh as any and I do remember Durie being on the pointed end of a good section of the fan’s points of view at the times. If only we’d realised what fortunate times we lived in and what we wouldn’t give for a similar player right now.
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What about his efforts in the 10 IAR season?

He scored in 2 league games from 26 appearances.

That’s a centre forward we’re talking about here.
An aging and under used Ally out scored him in half a dozen games.

He cost us 10 with his efforts in front of goal.
Excuse me for not joining in on the praise.
 
Dalmuirbear said:
He was always the guy that scored the 3rd or 4th goal never the 1st and most decisive which I think unfortunately works against him,

In terms of work rate he couldn’t be faulted.
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Nonsense. He scored some important goals including the only goal to qualify for the champions league against Anorthosis Famagusta.
 
Good foil and a work horse.

Always seemed limited but he was surrounded by stars.

Seems like a decent, humble guy as well.

Guessing he’d be Dessers level in todays terms?
 
I don't think I'll ever forget his ridiculous square-headed miss when Amato did an amazing bit of trickery and sent over a perfect cross onto his head.
 
He’d be an absolute star in this present team, a reliable scorer, a grafter and very rarely injured and more importantly, a team player willing to do the dirty work.
 
Never really took to him if I'm being honest.

His miss v Parma was unbelievable
 
His team mates nicknamed him Jigsaw because he went to pieces in the box.

He made a significant contribution in his time and worked his socks off every time he played.
 
Because of his work rate Walter often gave him a job to do which sometimes limited his goal scoring, likewise WS sometimes played him out of position and he just got stuck in. Very good player, definitely underrated but not one of the super stars the team.
 
I suppose the question around him is was he kept to long and at that time we could have and should have replaced him in 95/96
 
My memory of Gordon Durie is getting a Christmas card one year. I’m sure it was 1993. My Da worked offshore with his brother and asked him if he could sort that out. Was amazed when I opened the envelope and this shiny big blue Rangers card revealed itself. He was always one of my favourites after that.
 
Gave us an immediate boost when we signed him. Scored against Motherwell away I think ?

He got picked to play for Scotland in front of McCoist quite a few times (England at Wembley in Euro 96 being one)
 
Gordon Durie was never winning you a title as the main striker, however as a supporting player who could bolster the attack, would have a purple patch where he scored 8 goals in a month, and who played without ego, he was superb.

It seems incredible that he didn’t score against Celtic in 6yrs or whatever it was. At the same time, I don’t think he started many of those matches, we were more about packing midfield than going all out against them over that period.


Durie was a very solid player to have in the squad, and he weighed in each season with goals and performances. He contributed well to the NIAR run.
 
I used to hear people say his 2nd touch was a tackle, possibly paints a picture of where he was held by some of our fans.
For me, like most people have mentioned, a very good sub and would come on with good pace against a tiring team
 
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