Memories of Gary Stevens?

Mitchell McCoist

Mitchell McCoist

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Signed on this day in 1988, he went on to play 246 times for the bears, winning 9 major honours.

Bought from Everton where he had won 2 league titles, an FA cup and the European cup winners cup, it’s safe to say he ended his career with a fair few winners medals!

I was just too young to appreciate him and hadn’t realised he was injured for the bulk of our treble winning/European success campaign of 92/93. Thought he had actually been moved on and didn’t realise how many games he actually played for us!

He also scored the first goal on the match to 9IAR!
 
Craigie said:
Was it not the case he was never booked for us?

A fantastic right back for us who would cover anywhere along the back four during games if players were injured or sent off.
Click to expand...

That would be an unbelievable achievement given his position and some of the challenges he no doubt put in over the years
 
Mitchell McCoist said:
Signed on this day in 1988, he went on to play 246 times for the bears, winning 9 major honours.

Bought from Everton where he had won 2 league titles, an FA cup and the European cup winners cup, it’s safe to say he ended his career with a fair few winners medals!

I was just too young to appreciate him and hadn’t realised he was injured for the bulk of our treble winning/European success campaign of 92/93. Thought he had actually been moved on and didn’t realise how many games he actually played for us!

He also scored the first goal on the match to 9IAR!
Click to expand...
Absolutely fantastic right back. Certainly the right back that I compare all others to. Tav is similar in a lot of respects but maybe not quite there-yet. There’s a Heart and Hand podcast-Colin’s Moments that Matters-which was done on Sunday 14 July that covers Gary Stevens-well worth a listen. :))
 
Craigie said:
Was it not the case he was never booked for us?

A fantastic right back for us who would cover anywhere along the back four during games if players were injured or sent off.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure about this,is that not what he done when we won the league against Aberdeen. When we were struggling to keep 11 men on the park due to injuries
 
Mitchell McCoist said:
That would be an unbelievable achievement given his position and some of the challenges he no doubt put in over the years
Click to expand...
I am not entirely sure is that is the case.

Had a quick look and a previous thread here pops up and suggests he was booked once. Either way, a fantastic disciplinary record.
 
I remember he ripped his shorts during a game against celtic and the kit man came over with a new pair. As he was about to pull the ripped ones off a voice boomed from a few rows back "just flop it out Gary"
one of those you had to be there moments but me and my brother still laugh about it.

As a player he was excellent.
 
Gary Stevens was good enough to be an automatic choice for England at a time when they had plenty of good players. Always thought that Gary Stevens was the type of player who could go through a game unnoticed but his direct opponent was never noticed either. He certainly was a great signing for Rangers.
 
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Renfrew@UKGB&NI said:
I'm not sure about this,is that not what he done when we won the league against Aberdeen. When we were struggling to keep 11 men on the park due to injuries
Click to expand...
Yeah, against Aberdeen he started as normal at right back.

He was the overlapping left back when Walters crossed for Hateley's first goal after Cowan was carried off then replaced John Brown at centre half
 
If anyone could post the clip of the build up to Maurice Johnston’s last minute goal against Celtic (any excuse to see that classic), that would sum Gary Stevens for me. A fantastic athlete but a really poor passer of a ball. He was a reasonable defender but as someone who saw Sandy Jardine’s playing career for The Rangers, Gary Stevens could never lace Sandy Jardine’s boots imo. When Gary Stevens signed for us and taking account he was an England internationalist, I was expecting more. Maybe a sign there was not a great difference in playing levels between us and the best in England at that time.

I was at Hamilton for the first NIAR goal. More in body than spirit as I had a “significant” lunch time session before the game. However, whatever reservations I had of Gary Stevens, I acknowledge he played his part in our NIAR run. I am sure GS would not be bothered what I thought in any case.

I am willing to take a cyber kicking re the above but it is my honest opinion.
 
Mitchell McCoist said:
Signed on this day in 1988, he went on to play 246 times for the bears, winning 9 major honours.

Bought from Everton where he had won 2 league titles, an FA cup and the European cup winners cup, it’s safe to say he ended his career with a fair few winners medals!

I was just too young to appreciate him and hadn’t realised he was injured for the bulk of our treble winning/European success campaign of 92/93. Thought he had actually been moved on and didn’t realise how many games he actually played for us!

He also scored the first goal on the match to 9IAR!
Click to expand...

A class act and our best RB since Sandy Jardine.
 
If Stevens is a 10 then Tav is about a 6, a fantastic attacking full back who was an outstanding defender
 
Craigie said:
Yeah, against Aberdeen he started as normal at right back.

He was the overlapping left back when Walters crossed for Hateley's first goal after Cowan was carried off then replaced John Brown at centre half
Click to expand...
Cheers mate. Thought that but my memories are more of shredded nerves. Did cowan not play on for a bit with a broken leg?
 
Fantastic fullback. Remember thinking he was a bit too attackminded for a defender for my liking back in the day. Guess he was a bit ahead of his time. Scored a lot of goals for a defender.
 
The Meik's Crombie said:
If anyone could post the clip of the build up to Maurice Johnston’s last minute goal against Celtic (any excuse to see that classic), that would sum Gary Stevens for me. A fantastic athlete but a really poor passer of a ball. He was a reasonable defender but as someone who saw Sandy Jardine’s playing career for The Rangers, Gary Stevens could never lace Sandy Jardine’s boots imo. When Gary Stevens signed for us and taking account he was an England internationalist, I was expecting more. Maybe a sign there was not a great difference in playing levels between us and the best in England at that time.

I was at Hamilton for the first NIAR goal. More in body than spirit as I had a “significant” lunch time session before the game. However, whatever reservations I had of Gary Stevens, I acknowledge he played his part in our NIAR run. I am sure GS would not be bothered what I thought in any case.

I am willing to take a cyber kicking re the above but it is my honest opinion.
Click to expand...

I am in agreement. He was a product of the early days of athletic power over footballing ability. He was excellent at that but not a particularly technical player.

How many goals did he score for us?

As you suggest Sandy Jardine was on a different level altogether.
 
I won two season tickets in the Rangers News way back and he presented them to me in the foyer at Ibrox before a game.
Still got the pictures with him and copy of the Rangers News the article was in.
 
He stays here in Perth Australia now

We had him at last years ORSA function and a few other events from time to time

Also his old captain at Everton, Micky Lyons stays here and says that Stevens has the best engine he had ever seen in a player
 
Best right back I’ve ever seen in my life,playing for Rangers that is,although he’s still up there with ‘the rest of world contingent’.
If it wasn’t for his injury’s he’d be up there as a real Rangers legend. Phenomenal right back
 
I remember going up to play in the boys open at Bridge of Allan golf club one Sunday morning and he was standing on the porch of his house with two very tidy woman.
 
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