Souness on signing Johnston and leaving Ibrox

As someone who is slightly too young to remember the fine details of all of this, I must say this thread has been a brilliant read

Cheers lads
 
To win the league at the first go was quite incredible, more so if you had seen the mess we were in the season before there wasnt any teams we were confident of beating. League was strong, half a dozen really good sides teams doing well in europe, everyone desperate to beat Rangers. I know he makes some shitty comments at times which suggest he spends almost all his time following EPL due to work with Sky but for me Souness will always be a Rangers legend. I remember the anger when he left and understand why people were hurt but i also remember thinking about the difference between the team he had taken over and the one he was leaving behind. For me Johnston was a great signing i still laugh about it now.
 
One of the sad things is Souness even mentions that he tried to sign other RC's but they wouldnt come. That scenario has been repeated again and again.

Mo Johnston can't play in a charity game in Glasgow and its not because of the bears!
 
Johnston was unveiled by the Yahoos on Friday 12th May 1989. We played Aberdeen at Ibrox the next day. It was there that Souness met McMurdo and the Johnston transfer to the Yahoos began to unravel, not some time afterwards as is implied in the article.

Strangely, Johnston had released a biography in August 1988 where he said he would be happy to be sign for Rangers. Johnston and Billy McNeill never got on. They fell out before Johnston left them in 1987 and then had a huge argument on a flight back from Saudi Arabia in February 1988 with the Scottish national team. I don't think Johnston would have been a huge success for them. He never liked McNeill and they would have fallen out at some point. Also Celtic needed more than just one player to improve them.

We got one season out of Johnston. To be fair to him, he was always someone who only had a good initial 12-18 months at every club. It was the pattern of his career, not just at us.

The other thing to be said about Souness is that even Yahoo players of that era admired him. Charlie Nicholas, for example, is someone who looked up to him and I've sometimes thought Nicholas could have been persuaded. Mo Johnston also said he got on better with the Rangers players than Yahoo players. Let's face it, you'd rather McCoist and Durrant on a night out than Rasputin Grant and Paul McStay.

Souness had 3 European Cup medals and was an internationally respected player. It really was quite a coup to get him and it did wonders for us. It gave us our self-confidence back. The fanzine said at the time that the Yahoos had liked to boast about McNeill having won the European Cup once - we had a manager who'd won it 3 times.
 
It is sad and unfortunate that all the glory and greatness of The Souness Years have been diminished to a few red cards, a battle with a tea-lady and the signing of one player.
 
When Chairman David Holmes announced at a board meeting in 1986 that Souness was being signed as a player / manger, the feeling expressed was - that's all very well but what about knowledge of Scottish football or for that matter being a manager, he'll need an assistant to help with those issues.
Holmes wasn't particularly interested in that aspect but he did say ok come back with some suggestions.
Three guys were discussed at the next meeting, Doug Houston who had been doing a good job as manager of Forfar, Craig Brown, also doing a decent job at Clyde at the time. And Walker Smith, assistant to manager Jim McLean at Dundee United. Walter got nod primarily because he was experienced at working as a number 2 in a higher profile club.
 
When i see the great man on telly i always remember the goal v Aberdeen hes pointing at copland 2-0 win, sure it was around this time of the season, great goal great day. That was when you really started to think we had a chance to win it despite a poor start as Aberdeen were always tough opponents our record against them had been dreadful.

Robert Fleck had a very good season iirc scored some vital goals gave his all every time.
 
Jacrispy said:
As someone who is slightly too young to remember the fine details of all of this, I must say this thread has been a brilliant read

Cheers lads
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Yeah I concur, The Souness Years were sadly just before my time so it's fascinating to get to grips with the finer details provided by the posters in this thread with great clarity.
 
Mixed feelings about Souness. Loved how he (and David Holmes) revitalised our club, the signings made etc, then the downside of him leaving when he did with about 5 games left. If he was leaving for the sake of his health then who am I to blame him. I also feel he was the victim of the "small man mentality" that is prevalent in Scottish Football, the "who does he think he, we'll show him" attitude of the Blazers at the SFA. It's also never mentioned that MJ has to sneak in and out of Glasgow and it's not because of Rangers supporters.
 
I was 9/10 when Souness arrived so I think a lot of it went over my head, but I specifically remember him heavily criticising the training and fitness at the club, I'm sure he stated that he was fitter, faster and stronger than boys at 18/19/20 which surprised him, scenes of him implementing new ideas at training were on the news and you could see him completing the exercises while guys 10/15 years younger were blowing out their backsides.
 
Taki said:
Johnston was unveiled by the Yahoos on Friday 12th May 1989. We played Aberdeen at Ibrox the next day. It was there that Souness met McMurdo and the Johnston transfer to the Yahoos began to unravel, not some time afterwards as is implied in the article.

Strangely, Johnston had released a biography in August 1988 where he said he would be happy to be sign for Rangers. Johnston and Billy McNeill never got on. They fell out before Johnston left them in 1987 and then had a huge argument on a flight back from Saudi Arabia in February 1988 with the Scottish national team. I don't think Johnston would have been a huge success for them. He never liked McNeill and they would have fallen out at some point. Also Celtic needed more than just one player to improve them.

We got one season out of Johnston. To be fair to him, he was always someone who only had a good initial 12-18 months at every club. It was the pattern of his career, not just at us..
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IIRC the first thing McNeill said to Johnston was that he would not deal with him or McMurdo until he apologised for dicking him around in 1987 when apparently he had already signed for Nantes weeks earlier but still gave McNeill the impression he might re-sign for that mob. Johnston's impression was that McNeill was essentially trying to bully him into re-signing by guilt tripping him

Grant also tells the story that on the Yahoos team bus to Paisley the day after his 'signing' that Johnston travelled with them to Love Street and the bus was rocking until Johnston actually told him and Burns that he hadn't put pen to paper yet and couldn't do so for 'a number of weeks'. Grant says he began to wonder if he'd ever sign. As you say, McMurdo was at Ibrox that day telling Souness that he hadn't signed a thing yet.

As for Souness. The Mhank players respected him. McAvennie tells the story that Souness offered to get our lawyer to defend McAvennie for the dust up with Butcher and Co because the Tims had told McAvennie he was paying for his own brief. When they found out Souness was willing to fork out they shat themselves and were forced to pay for his brief.
 
Brought us out of the wilderness, signed a guy who split our Support, was a mate of Murray's, dodged off to Liverpool whenever it suited his personal ambition. I liked him for the first of those & that's it.
 
My biggest complaint on signing Johnston wasn’t just he was a catholic , but that he was a rabid bitter wee skumbag . GS didn’t need to sign him , there were other players around , even other catholics . But he did this to get at the “ element “ amoung our support . Didn’t like Souness as I thought he arrogant , yes he was successful but you have to ask was it him or Walter who was the real brains in the dugout .
To younger bears I’d ask , if brown left the skum and we signed him next season , how would you feel ??
 
Nothing new in that article and his book will be the usual anodyne, ghost-written lists of games won, drawn and lost with a few re-hashed anecdotes thrown in and some glaring inaccuracies.

I'll probably buy it!

I love the man and he's a huge, if fallible, figure in our history.
 
Taki said:
Johnston was unveiled by the Yahoos on Friday 12th May 1989. We played Aberdeen at Ibrox the next day. It was there that Souness met McMurdo and the Johnston transfer to the Yahoos began to unravel, not some time afterwards as is implied in the article.

Strangely, Johnston had released a biography in August 1988 where he said he would be happy to be sign for Rangers. Johnston and Billy McNeill never got on. They fell out before Johnston left them in 1987 and then had a huge argument on a flight back from Saudi Arabia in February 1988 with the Scottish national team. I don't think Johnston would have been a huge success for them. He never liked McNeill and they would have fallen out at some point. Also Celtic needed more than just one player to improve them.

We got one season out of Johnston. To be fair to him, he was always someone who only had a good initial 12-18 months at every club. It was the pattern of his career, not just at us.

The other thing to be said about Souness is that even Yahoo players of that era admired him. Charlie Nicholas, for example, is someone who looked up to him and I've sometimes thought Nicholas could have been persuaded. Mo Johnston also said he got on better with the Rangers players than Yahoo players. Let's face it, you'd rather McCoist and Durrant on a night out than Rasputin Grant and Paul McStay.

Souness had 3 European Cup medals and was an internationally respected player. It really was quite a coup to get him and it did wonders for us. It gave us our self-confidence back. The fanzine said at the time that the Yahoos had liked to boast about McNeill having won the European Cup once - we had a manager who'd won it 3 times.
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It was impossble not to respect Souness. His footballing ability and achievements surpassed all other Scottish players of the era, Dalglish aside.

Those too young to remember Souness the player should check out the YouTube of Liverpool v CSKA Sofia in the European Cup. One of the best hat tricks you will ever see.
 
Kirky loyalist said:
My biggest complaint on signing Johnston wasn’t just he was a catholic , but that he was a rabid bitter wee skumbag . GS didn’t need to sign him , there were other players around , even other catholics . But he did this to get at the “ element “ amoung our support . Didn’t like Souness as I thought he arrogant , yes he was successful but you have to ask was it him or Walter who was the real brains in the dugout .
To younger bears I’d ask , if brown left the skum and we signed him next season , how would you feel ??
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Not that I am younger bear (sadly) and I get the comparison you are trying to make (there isn’t really an equal comparison now) but Brown is a non-entity, whereas Johnston was an excellent footballer.
 
During the summer of 89 I remember the tramps bumping gums about brining Johnston back to the piggery, I remember the photos of McNeill and Johnston on all the back pages, I remember the disbelief of seeing the Evening Times with Souness and Johnston with the heading Rangers sign MoJo. What I don’t remember is being upset Johnston was catholic, I remember being delighted we had pulled off the signing from right under their noses. If I recall they made more of an issue out of him being catholic than we did.
 
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SM™ said:
Only kids at my non-denom school who supported the filth were the ones who'd been expelled from the sectarian school across the road.
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I cannot understand non-catholics supporting them. Given their ‘heritage’ and how the club and majority of its scumbag fans align themselves, I just don’t get it.
 
Although I was only 9/10 at the time, I was always under the impression Cooper ( who was my favorite player) left because he wasn’t playing much after Walters had signed .
 
Stivenstoune said:
During the summer of 89 I remember the tramps bumping gums about brining Johnston back to the piggery, I remember the photos of O’Neil and Johnston on all the back pages, I remember the disbelief of seeing the Evening Times with Souness and Johnston with the heading Rangers sign MoJo. What I don’t remember is being upset Johnston was catholic, I remember being delighted we had pulled off the signing from right under their noses. If I recall they made more of an issue out of him being catholic than we did.
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Assume you mean McNeill rather than St Martin O'Feel?
 
Woodrow Call said:
Most of us could not have gave a phuck about Johnston's religion. What bugged me most was his behaviour at Hampden while being sent off. You could almost taste his hatred of Rangers.
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True enough.
However, Maurice was that type of individual, the type that plays on the edge of a wind up, a niggly cvunt.
There have been plenty of players like this playing for us as well.
His father was to all accounts a Bear, and would get a sore face for his troubles, after Maurice signed for Rangers.

One thing about Maurice Johnston, whatever he was before he signed, Rangers certainly served as a watershed in his demeanour.
Since leaving us he has been behaved in a very honourable decent manner, and I cannot say that about every player after they left us.

Maurice would always be welcome back.
 
Stivenstoune said:
During the summer of 89 I remember the tramps bumping gums about brining Johnston back to the piggery, I remember the photos of McNeill and Johnston on all the back pages, I remember the disbelief of seeing the Evening Times with Souness and Johnston with the heading Rangers sign MoJo. What I don’t remember is being upset Johnston was catholic, I remember being delighted we had pulled off the signing from right under their noses. If I recall they made more of an issue out of him being catholic than we did.
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Indeed.
There has been a ton of players who have signed for Rangers since, and I couldn't tell you what their religion was/is.
But I bet you Graham Spiers can.
 
I seem to remember reading that after Souness signed Johnston, The players were asked, in the dressing room what they thought of it. Seemingly, Coop retorted "He shouldnae be here" and was packed off to Motherwell the next day.
 
Signing MJ was some girfuy to the bheasts as they were utterly flabbergasted.Spew Keevins likes to shout how we burned ST and scarves outside Ibrox.I certainly didn't see any of this happen.The Souness era was magical starting with judas scoring at sheepville until both left under a sour note.
 
whitbyontbear said:
I seem to remember reading that after Souness signed Johnston, The players were asked, in the dressing room what they thought of it. Seemingly, Coop retorted "He shouldnae be here" and was packed off to Motherwell the next day.
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Iv heard that story loads of times and it's exactly the kind of thing I'd have said. I'm of the opinion that no Celtic supporter should be employed in any capacity. Sure it worked fine with Neil McCann but over the course of it we're better off without the cnuts. Was Johnston a Celtic supporter. Brought up a pape in north Glasgow. Played for them. I'd say Coop was on the money if he actually said this.

Thing is neither Coop, Souness or even Butcher who would love to say it have ever verifified it was said.
 
RS_Jam said:
50/50?!
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Indeed! Not the only inaccuracy either, but on the whole a good read and I'm glad he acknowledges he shouldn't have left in the at he did. Always said my only gripe with him leaving was that he should've told Liverpool he'd speak to them at the end of the season. It was only a few weeks after all. His timing could've cost us the championship. Still, all's well that ends well.
 
Kirky loyalist said:
Imagine if back in 1989 we had known that

This 100%
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To be honest mate, the club played from its inception for fifty years, and I doubt anyone can tell you the religion of the players who filled our ranks back then.
We were signing Roman Catholics before Celtc ever did, and if there is any justice in the world we will be doing so long after they are a forgotten stain on the nation's memory.

As for Maurice.
Whatever he was before he signed, the great thing is he reformed during his time at Ibrox.
Reformation, a wonderful thing indeed.
Something we can offer any man.....eh?
 
SDF said:
Could not agree more.

His five years seems to boil down to signing Johnston, arguing with a tea lady and falling out with numerous folk which does him and us a massive disservice.

People forget just how much of a rut we were in when he arrived. A stagnant club going absolutely nowhere who had been overtaken by not only them but Hearts, Dundee United and Aberdeen and were essentially going head to head with Dundee to finish 5th in a 10 team table. We were a shambles when he took over.

He ripped out the blueprint and dragged us kicking and screaming into modern football. We went from losing to Clydebank to knocking out Dynamo Kyiv inside of 18 months. We went from Craig Paterson to Terry Butcher as our captain. He took guys like Fleck, Durrant, Munro and McCoist to another level. We left the rest of Scottish football for dead with our approach, our signings, our off field earnings and our football. A lot of that is down to him.

People talk about Wenger revolutionising English football. Souness did that 10 years before him up here. Wenger gets lauded. Souness gets accused of ruining our game.

But truth be told I'm genuinely sick of hearing about the Johnston signing. Especially when the story seems to change to suit whatever party is talking about it. Including Souness.
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Remember, this is an extract we're getting here.
A headline.
Maybe the book and the full story will read differently.
 
Papasmurf said:
Who left shorty after would probably give the answer
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Not sure this would be the case.
This extract only stated that those who didn't like the signing would be leaving.
It did not say some disliked it so left.


Edit: The later post detail the transfer activity would maybe support this theory.
 
It’s clear as the nose on your face who had the bigger problem with our club signing catholics. And still do to this day.

It was practically one of the first things that Chris Woods was asked when he was unveiled, before David Holmes put the arsehole who asked Woods’ religious persuasion, straight.
 
Dave Angell said:
It’s clear as the nose on your face who had the bigger problem with our club signing catholics. And still do to this day.

It was practically one of the first things that Chris Woods was asked when he was unveiled, before David Holmes put the arsehole who asked Woods’ religious persuasion, straight.
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Who asked ???
 
Taki said:
If you attend a Catholic school in Scotland, you will almost certainly support Celtic. There will be no Rangers supporters. If you attend a non-denominational school in Scotland, there will be a variety of supports, including Celtic, and not exclusively Rangers. That's the reason Rangers will always find it difficult to sign Scottish RC's and there's nothing Rangers can do about that.

As you say, who were the Scottish RC's pre-1989 who were being denied the chance of fulfilling their dream of playing for Rangers? It's no coincidence that even in the near 30 years since Johnston, the majority of RC's that have played for Rangers have been foreign. There is no clamour from the Scottish RC community to play for Rangers. There never will be.

I get the positives of the Johnston signing but it's unfortunate that both Souness and Murray were politically and culturally naive and they both over-estimate the importance of the Johnson signing and how much it really changed Scottish society. Hell, the club released an audio history in 1993 where a significant portion is devoted to this damned signing - giving Murray an excuse to revisit the anecdotes and stroke his ego ('no-one knew...we had to do it...it was brave but we did it...I said to Graeme you realise what this means...blah blah'). It's given greater importance than winning the ECWC.

It was the Ian Archers, Brian Wilsons, Candid Camerons of this world who were most gutted when Rangers signed Johnson. It was never our problem.
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Given the drop in attendance at Roman Catholic Churches over the past two or three decades, a cynic might be forgiven for concluding that the main purpose of denominational schools in Scotland nowadays is to turn out Celtic supporters.

People like Murray and Souness saw the Johnston signing in very simplistic terms - perhaps because they didn't come from the west of the central belt. Despite all the arguments given by jornalists previously, it didn't really change anything about the rivalry between the clubs or sectarianism in general.


There is a good point above about the treatment of Mark Walters showing that their so-called moral superiority was just a charade. One episode that is in danger of being forgotten was Ian Archer's comment about Walter's transfer fee - 'that's a lot of bananas'.

So much for that sanctimonious hypocrite!
 
Big D said:
Indeed! Not the only inaccuracy either, but on the whole a good read and I'm glad he acknowledges he shouldn't have left in the at he did. Always said my only gripe with him leaving was that he should've told Liverpool he'd speak to them at the end of the season. It was only a few weeks after all. His timing could've cost us the championship. Still, all's well that ends well.
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Have you read the whole book? Recommend it?
 
Alex Venters said:
Another slur on Davie Cooper?

Just seen post above he left prior to Johnston arriving.

Another soundbite from Souness that shows us in a bad light.
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Davie Cooper always joked about when Johnston signed all the boys had a table for one in the corner of the lunch area and told Mo that was his designated seat. It was all in jest and confirmed by the likes of McCoist and Durrant.

Sounds like Souness just trying to be controvertial to sell more books. I was going to buy it for a read but after that comment i will pass.
 
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