Ron McKinnon

I'm friendly with a former Scotland International from that era. Told me Ron never gave him a sniff, great in the air and quick. Also said you always got chances against McNeill. In fact he scored a hatrick against them at the dome.
You've set a hare running there, who is this wonderful hero?
 
He played in Durban, was a car salesman in Smith street. When the South African teams brought name players over they gave them jobs like car salesman to bolster the wages I think.
I went to a few Durban games when I wasn’t playing and they had crowds of 20-30k at them. I remember Alan Ball and Mick Channon playing against each other.
 
Going to take pelters.Ronnie McKinnon was a good defender but a punt u the park player. Not a great footballing defender like Dave Smith or even Colin Jackson.
 
Going to take pelters.Ronnie McKinnon was a good defender but a punt u the park player. Not a great footballing defender like Dave Smith or even Colin Jackson.
Aye, you should get pelters for that. He was a lot more skillful than you give him credit for and he was a central part of what is regarded as the greatest ever Rangers side. Hardly a "punt up the park" player by any means.
 
Did he play for Benburb?
Yes,sir Alex Ferguson tells a story about himself,Ronnie McKinnon and from Memory Ronnie Watson(might be mistaken with the first name) all three of them were released by benburb at the same time when they left the ground Ronnie McKinnon turned to Sir Alex and said “come on we’ll go along the road to Ibrox and sign for rangers” Six months later Ronnie McKinnon signed for rangers and all three ended up at rangers eventually.
 
I remember meeting Ronnie when I was a kid. My ma sold him and his Mrs a marble fireplace for their new house (must have been about '69). Distinctly remember me and my da lurking in the background waiting to meet the great man after the business was done. He was a total gentleman and chatted to us. She sold one to Harry Hood as well. I refused to speak to him.
 
Going to take pelters.Ronnie McKinnon was a good defender but a punt u the park player. Not a great footballing defender like Dave Smith or even Colin Jackson.
McKinnon started out as a half back, he then was converted as a centre half by Scot Symon and to say he was a 'punt up the park' player is completely wrong, McKinnon was a very good passer of the ball from defence, invariably always looking for the like of Caldow, Baxter or Wilson with a ball from defence. Never was he just a 'punt up the park' player. He had so much more to his game
 
Sorry, but I can only remember a lot of people calling him Punt the baw McKinnon. Just my memory of that time, but I was young. He was a fantastic defender though.
 
Going to take pelters.Ronnie McKinnon was a good defender but a punt u the park player. Not a great footballing defender like Dave Smith or even Colin Jackson.
I watch quite a lot of old games on YouTube and certainly the emphasis was getting it forward asap.
 
Going to take pelters.Ronnie McKinnon was a good defender but a punt u the park player. Not a great footballing defender like Dave Smith or even Colin Jackson.
Aye, and so you should take pelters.
Ronnie McKinnon was an excellent Centre Half, a cool, composed, determined, intelligent player. He tackled fairly and often, he had fantastic pace, a thing not often considered back then for a Centre Half, though he also knew when to kick the ball clean out of touch, to yon folk up there in the seats.
McKinnon was very good in the air. He read the game very well, and did his job with precision, rarely exposed, he would collect that ball, feed it to Baxter, McMillan, Greig or Dave Smith, and let them do the rest.
It was Jock Stein (Whilst manager of both Celtic and Scotland) who gave Ronnie McKinnon his International debut, at the expense of his own Billy McNeill.....and this was no meaningless Friendly, to bring in the untried, this was a must win World Cup Qualifier at home to Italy, widely regarded as one of Hampden's greatest nights ever, which Scotland won 1-0.
Despite the competition around at the time, Billy McNeill, Jackie McGrory, Ron Yeats, Ian Ure, Frank McLintock etc. Ronnie McKinnon was above all of them, and would get the nod in 17 of the next 19 Internationals that Scotland played between that World Cup qualifier v Italy in Nov 65' until the WCQ v West Germany in April 69'.
In what many consider Scotland's greatest ever victory, a 3-2 annihilation of World Champions England in their own back yard in 1967, it was Ronnie McKinnon who was the best player on the park.
McKinnon faced some of the best forwards in the World during that period, in Pele, Eusebio and Greaves, to name but three, and never looked out of place.

There was some impressive Half Back Lines in Britain throughout the 1960's
Blanchflower, Norman, MacKay, at Tottenham
Smith, Yeats, and Stevenson, at Liverpool
Bremner, Charlton, Hunter, at Leeds
Crerand, Foulkes, and Stiles, at Man Utd
Murdoch, McNeill and Clark at Celtic,
but there was none better than
GREIG, McKINNON, BAXTER

DHqpHzMUQAAeqEi.jpg
 
When I was a schoolboy growing up in Mallaig, Inverness-shire, Ronnie MacKinnon was my hero, my favourite Rangers player. Whenever I got the chance to go to Ibrox with my father I would make a point of watching out for MacKinnon and couldn't help but admire his speed in the tackle, his awareness and his command in the air. I wrote to him asking for a signed photograph and he replied enclosing a newspaper pic from the Glasgow Herald, explaining that he'd "run out of official photographs" at the time! Had it on my bedroom wall for a while, but sadly the clipping went the way of all things...
 
At our victory in Barcelona in ‘72, subs were allowed but we did not use any. Winners medals were only presented to those players who participated. My understanding is that Willie Waddle presented Ronnie with a medal.
 
Aye, and so you should take pelters.
Ronnie McKinnon was an excellent Centre Half, a cool, composed, determined, intelligent player. He tackled fairly and often, he had fantastic pace, a thing not often considered back then for a Centre Half, though he also knew when to kick the ball clean out of touch, to yon folk up there in the seats.
McKinnon was very good in the air. He read the game very well, and did his job with precision, rarely exposed, he would collect that ball, feed it to Baxter, McMillan, Greig or Dave Smith, and let them do the rest.
It was Jock Stein (Whilst manager of both Celtic and Scotland) who gave Ronnie McKinnon his International debut, at the expense of his own Billy McNeill.....and this was no meaningless Friendly, to bring in the untried, this was a must win World Cup Qualifier at home to Italy, widely regarded as one of Hampden's greatest nights ever, which Scotland won 1-0.
Despite the competition around at the time, Billy McNeill, Jackie McGrory, Ron Yeats, Ian Ure, Frank McLintock etc. Ronnie McKinnon was above all of them, and would get the nod in 17 of the next 19 Internationals that Scotland played between that World Cup qualifier v Italy in Nov 65' until the WCQ v West Germany in April 69'.
In what many consider Scotland's greatest ever victory, a 3-2 annihilation of World Champions England in their own back yard in 1967, it was Ronnie McKinnon who was the best player on the park.
McKinnon faced some of the best forwards in the World during that period, in Pele, Eusebio and Greaves, to name but three, and never looked out of place.

There was some impressive Half Back Lines in Britain throughout the 1960's
Blanchflower, Norman, MacKay, at Tottenham
Smith, Yeats, and Stevenson, at Liverpool
Bremner, Charlton, Hunter, at Leeds
Crerand, Foulkes, and Stiles, at Man Utd
Murdoch, McNeill and Clark at Celtic,
but there was none better than
GREIG, McKINNON, BAXTER

DHqpHzMUQAAeqEi.jpg

The great Tottenham side of the early 60,s were cetainly the better team over the two legs in the pulsating Cup Winners Cup ties of 1962. Bill Nicholson thought we had a weakness in defending crosses into our box. This proved to be the case at White Hart Lane where even John White, not noted for his aerial strength, scored with a header. That great Spurs team broke my eleven year old heart in November and December of 1962. Ron McKinnon was still a relatively inexperienced player on the European stage at that time but he went on to become one of our greatest centre-halfs.
 
Last edited:
Great player.
Its strange how mistakes stick more than perfection.
Ronnie giving away two pens in an old firm game at hampden.
Both at the east end, one when he jumped and palmed the ball away.
 
Aye, and so you should take pelters.
Ronnie McKinnon was an excellent Centre Half, a cool, composed, determined, intelligent player. He tackled fairly and often, he had fantastic pace, a thing not often considered back then for a Centre Half, though he also knew when to kick the ball clean out of touch, to yon folk up there in the seats.
McKinnon was very good in the air. He read the game very well, and did his job with precision, rarely exposed, he would collect that ball, feed it to Baxter, McMillan, Greig or Dave Smith, and let them do the rest.
It was Jock Stein (Whilst manager of both Celtic and Scotland) who gave Ronnie McKinnon his International debut, at the expense of his own Billy McNeill.....and this was no meaningless Friendly, to bring in the untried, this was a must win World Cup Qualifier at home to Italy, widely regarded as one of Hampden's greatest nights ever, which Scotland won 1-0.
Despite the competition around at the time, Billy McNeill, Jackie McGrory, Ron Yeats, Ian Ure, Frank McLintock etc. Ronnie McKinnon was above all of them, and would get the nod in 17 of the next 19 Internationals that Scotland played between that World Cup qualifier v Italy in Nov 65' until the WCQ v West Germany in April 69'.
In what many consider Scotland's greatest ever victory, a 3-2 annihilation of World Champions England in their own back yard in 1967, it was Ronnie McKinnon who was the best player on the park.
McKinnon faced some of the best forwards in the World during that period, in Pele, Eusebio and Greaves, to name but three, and never looked out of place.

There was some impressive Half Back Lines in Britain throughout the 1960's
Blanchflower, Norman, MacKay, at Tottenham
Smith, Yeats, and Stevenson, at Liverpool
Bremner, Charlton, Hunter, at Leeds
Crerand, Foulkes, and Stiles, at Man Utd
Murdoch, McNeill and Clark at Celtic,
but there was none better than
GREIG, McKINNON, BAXTER

DHqpHzMUQAAeqEi.jpg
I don't often say this about your posts as I already know the research you do re: our players history and ability but that was a great summation about Ronnie McKinnon
 
A sad one but one that sums up our support in part but our club's culture.

During the bad, dank days and I think it was a midweek game against Dunfermline It was 2014 I'm sure. Moshni scored with the last kick of the ball to make it 3-1.

At h/time Ronnie McKinnon was introduced to the crowd for the Stars in your Eyes thingy and there was barely a ripple amongst the crowd. Very poor and it always stuck.

As has been said earlier a guy who made more appearancess for Rangers in the 1960s, was an integral part of one of the most 'iconic' of all Rangers teams and eras, yet he was barely recognised.

We simply do not remember and fete our own as we should.
 
Incredible to think that a player of Ronnie's class and ability only scored three goals for the club and only one of them was at Ibrox. I was at the game on New Years eve in 1966 when Rangers playing in their all - white change strip drew 2-2 with Dundee. Ronnie put us ahead but Dundee were leading 2-1 late on. Alex Smith who was good in the air levelled it with a fine headed goal. The game against Celtic the following day at Ibrox was postponed and we dropped another vital point at Firhill on the second of January. This was to prove costly at the end of the season when Celtic clinched the title by drawing 2-2 at Ibrox in the re-arranged game from January. His first goal for Rangers was in Belgrade against Red Star which earned us the play-off at Highbury which we won. Ronnie's third goal for the club was the opener in a 4-2 league win at Stirling Albion in the 1967/68 season.
 
Incredible to think that a player of Ronnie's class and ability only scored three goals for the club and only one of them was at Ibrox. I was at the game on New Years eve in 1966 when Rangers playing in their all - white change strip drew 2-2 with Dundee. Ronnie put us ahead but Dundee were leading 2-1 late on. Alex Smith who was good in the air levelled it with a fine headed goal. The game against Celtic the following day at Ibrox was postponed and we dropped another vital point at Firhill on the second of January. This was to prove costly at the end of the season when Celtic clinched the title by drawing 2-2 at Ibrox in the re-arranged game from January. His first goal for Rangers was in Belgrade against Red Star which earned us the play-off at Highbury which we won. Ronnie's third goal for the club was the opener in a 4-2 league win at Stirling Albion in the 1967/68 season.
 
Incredible to think that a player of Ronnie's class and ability only scored three goals for the club and only one of them was at Ibrox. I was at the game on New Years eve in 1966 when Rangers playing in their all - white change strip drew 2-2 with Dundee. Ronnie put us ahead but Dundee were leading 2-1 late on. Alex Smith who was good in the air levelled it with a fine headed goal. The game against Celtic the following day at Ibrox was postponed and we dropped another vital point at Firhill on the second of January. This was to prove costly at the end of the season when Celtic clinched the title by drawing 2-2 at Ibrox in the re-arranged game from January. His first goal for Rangers was in Belgrade against Red Star which earned us the play-off at Highbury which we won. Ronnie's third goal for the club was the opener in a 4-2 league win at Stirling Albion in the 1967/68 season.

Was it maybe less common for centre-halves to score goals in those days?
 
Was it maybe less common for centre-halves to score goals in those days?
You make a very good point there JayDee, looking at the Rangers Player by Player book Woodburn is listed as only scoring one goal plus one wartime goal. Our other centre-halves prior to McKinnon, such as Telfer, Paterson and Bailie never scored. George Young scored 31 (plus 27 wartime goals) but i assume most of those would have been penalty kicks.Looking at Ronnie's fellow center-halves at the time such as Ron Yeats (Liverpool), Brian Labone (Everton), Bill Foulkes (Man Utd) Ian Ure (Dundee, Arsenal, Man Utd) Peter Swan (Sheff. Wed, and England). None of them were noted goal scorers. The exceptions of course were Jack Charlton, Mike England and Maurice Norman and (whisper it) Billy McNeill of Celtic. I would have to admit that McNeill's ability to score goals from corners etc was a part of his game that was stronger than Ronnie McKinnon's.
 
You make a very good point there JayDee, looking at the Rangers Player by Player book Woodburn is listed as only scoring one goal plus one wartime goal. Our other centre-halves prior to McKinnon, such as Telfer, Paterson and Bailie never scored. George Young scored 31 (plus 27 wartime goals) but i assume most of those would have been penalty kicks.Looking at Ronnie's fellow center-halves at the time such as Ron Yeats (Liverpool), Brian Labone (Everton), Bill Foulkes (Man Utd) Ian Ure (Dundee, Arsenal, Man Utd) Peter Swan (Sheff. Wed, and England). None of them were noted goal scorers. The exceptions of course were Jack Charlton, Mike England and Maurice Norman and (whisper it) Billy McNeill of Celtic. I would have to admit that McNeill's ability to score goals from corners etc was a part of his game that was stronger than Ronnie McKinnon's.

Great info. Many thanks.
 
Back
Top