Ronnie McKinnon - tribute by David Leggat

[mdingwall]

 

[UpperDeaconsbankLoyal]

Good read. Before my time but sounds like a player

 

[Pentasa]

Good read. Before my time but sounds like a player

Talking to my Dad last night who is a similar age to Ronnie McKinnon he used to live round the corner from him and used to see him and his brother everyday coming back from Primary school

said he was a brilliant Centre Half and was better than Billy McNeill who was held up as the best of a generation

 

[Rangerista]

That's a wonderful tribute from Mr Leggat.

 

[fyd]

Talking to my Dad just night who is similar age to Ronnie McKinnon he used to live round the corner from him and used to see him and his brother everyday coming back from took Primary school

said he was a brilliant Centre Half and was better than Billy McNeill who was held up as the best of a generation

Big Ronnie took McNeill's place in the Scotland team

 

[KensitasClub]

Great tribute from DL.

 

[isawthat]

A wonderful player, who came through our very successful youth policy at that time. Was a pleasure watching him strolling through games.

 

[Tommy48]

A wonderful player, who came through our very successful youth policy at that time. Was a pleasure watching him strolling through games.

Especially at Wembley in 1967.

 

[Pygmy_archer]

I thoroughly enjoyed that article and as someone who saw Ronnie McKinnon play for both Rangers and Scotland (I was an avid Scotland fan in those dim and distant days) I did not think he got the credit due to him from the Scottish media. In my opinion he was a far better centre half than McNeill although that may be slightly coloured by my blue tinted glasses. What I wouldn’t give to have someone of his stature and ability at the heart of our defence now.

 

[tazzabear]

McKinnon was a hero to my dad and my uncles.
Their unanimous choice for centre half when they picked their favourites.
He must have been some player to be thought better, by Leggat’s generation, than Gough and/or Butcher.
One question for Leggat though, McKinnon faster than Bjorkland?

 

[tazzabear]

Big Ronnie took McNeill's place in the Scotland team

I need to refer to my elders’ discussions on this one and the recollection was, and this was agreed by the three or four Celtic men in the room, that McKinnon was a far better player than McNeill although not as dominant in the air.

 

[Barca Bear]

I need to refer to my elders’ discussions on this one and the recollection was, and this was agreed by the three or four Celtic men in the room, that McKinnon was a far better player than McNeill although not as dominant in the air.

Honestly, there was nothing between them.

 

[MO_TxTruBlu]

I need to refer to my elders’ discussions on this one and the recollection was, and this was agreed by the three or four Celtic men in the room, that McKinnon was a far better player than McNeill although not as dominant in the air.

Maybe at the other end of the field where McNeill scored a few, but at the back where it mattered, he was often troubled in the air by the diminutive Jimmy Millar, and a 16 year old boy.

Great words from Mr Leggat.

 

[MO_TxTruBlu]

Honestly, there was nothing between them.

Billy McNeill who was held up as the best of a generation

On the International front, it is worth noting that McKinnon faced England as World Champions on 3 occasions (67' 68' and 70')and was never on the losing side (1 win, 2 draws).
The one he missed in 69', where the treble winning McNeill was preferred, saw Scotland get trounced 1-4 at Wembley.

It was Jock Stein (Whilst manager of both Celtic and Scotland) who gave Ronnie McKinnon his International debut in 1965, at the expense of McNeill, who he dropped in favour of McKinnon, and this was no meaningless Friendly, to bring in the untried, this was a must win World Cup Qualifier at home to Italy.

During the time that both Billy McNeill, and Ronnie McKinnon were vying for that Centre Half spot for Scotland, the much less decorated McKinnon, won four times as many Caps for Scotland.
Ronnie McKinnon collected 28 Caps, between 1965 and 1971 whilst McNeill won 7 Caps during that well decorated span of his career.
Of McNeill's other 22 Caps, 19 came before McKinnon had played for Scotland, and 3 more came in the 72' Home Internationals after McKinnon was finished.

Billy McNeill got 29 Scotland Caps, in an 11 year International career, from the time he made his debut in that 3-9 Loss to England in 61', until a much more respectful 0-1 loss to England in 72'.

Ronnie McKinnon got 28 Scotland Caps, in half that time, between Nov 65' and June 71'.

They were both good, but McKinnon was better, far better!

Ronnie McKinnon - Rangers Centre Half 1962-71

Although he made his debut as a wing half in March of 1961, it would be a year later that Ronnie McKinnon made the Ranger's centre half position, his very own for virtually the next decade. He would play in Rangers final 7 games of the 61-62 campaign, picking up a Scottish Cup Winners medal v St...

www.followfollow.com

 

[nasalsinatra]

A true story. I was in a long queue at the Hampden turnstiles for the 1962 Cup Final v St Mirren. Behind us were Craig Brown and Ian Ure of Dundee. At that time Ure was Scotland’s centre-half and with his very blond hair he was easily recognised, the golden boy of Scottish football. Somebody shouted “That’s Ian Ure”. Someone else shouted back “F*** Ure. MacKinnon’s or man!” Even Ian Ure laughed.

 

[senefelder]

Honestly, there was nothing between them.

McNeil a lot taller and more dominant in the air. McKinnon much sharper and yards faster. Flip the coin and make your choice.

 

[jnloyal]

A great read that.