The best all round striker to play for Rangers?

Hateley was the best one man strikeforce and definitely the most complete striker, McCoist was the best goalscorer. Having them both at the same time was just ridiculous, and but for that pointless Scotland hammering against Portugal where he broke his leg, we could have been winning European silverware over the following couple of seasons.
 
Logic dictates that they have to be. In order to play in a game with players who are fitter, faster, taller and stronger you need to process the ball much faster. You need to control it quicker. You need to process whats happening quicker and you need to move the ball quicker. Its actually fundamentally the difference in what seperates the best players.

Could a top player 50yrs ago ping an accurate 30 yard pass like a modern player? Absolutely!

Could a top player 50yrs ago ping that same 30 yard pass accurately, after running a 10km with some of the best athletes on the planet, who are physically fitter, faster and stronger than them? No they couldnt. Muscle fatigue would inhibit their ability. Hence their level of technical ability cant match the modern player. Its physically not possible.


Is that not more of a physical comparison, as opposed to technical, you are making though, as you are taking into account muscle fatigue after physical exertion?

Goldson is looked upon as the best passing central defender we've had since Terry Butcher, but is he better than Butcher was, or Dave Smith for that matter?

Does Ryan Kent control a ball better, or quicker than Davie Cooper did?

Has any Rangers striker since Derek Johnstone been a better header of the ball than him?

Surely these are all technical aspects of being a top footballer, irrespective of the era?
 
I think it's fair to call someone the goat based on their achievements and ability relative to the time when they played. As for skill, in other sports that involve almost no athletic ability the players have still gotten better. The Nicklaus point doesn't change anything really. The players today are better. I don't know much about golf but I know they drive a lot further now and I think the courses have changed over time to make them more difficult.
You can add tennis. The balls fly quicker, the rackets are made of carbon and alloys as opposed to wood, etc.

I still firmly believe if you were able to catapult Borg, McEnroe, Nastase and Connors at their peak into the present day with all the technical advances, their skills would still shine through.

I just think you are dismissing the skills that were there at the time with the older apparatus that was available back then.
 
Is that not more of a physical comparison, as opposed to technical, you are making though, as you are taking into account muscle fatigue after physical exertion?

Goldson is looked upon as the best passing central defender we've had since Terry Butcher, but is he better than Butcher was, or Dave Smith for that matter?

Does Ryan Kent control a ball better, or quicker than Davie Cooper did?

Has any Rangers striker since Derek Johnstone been a better header of the ball than him?

Surely these are all technical aspects of being a top footballer, irrespective of the era?

Physicality and technicality are interwined though. If you mean could they do what you say, yes they could in isolation. In the same way I could ping 20 yarders into the net down my local park for fun. Ask me to do it in the 90th minute of a game after ive ran 10km and i almost certainly couldnt. So the technical ability cant be seperated from fitness when you are talking about what a footballer can do in a match.

Id say if you took Davie Cooper from his era and placed him alongside Ryan Kent and asked them to dribble by an athletic modern full back in the 90th minute of the game on Wednesday, Kent would be far more capable than Cooper. (Im not saying Kent is better than Cooper).

Youve made some fair points though.
 
I also saw Mols pre injury and he's the best I've seen.
He could well have been classed with Forrest, DJ, Ally and Hateley, had he not suffered that injury.

The 3 you mention have all been great Rangers strikers, but fall short of being in the same bracket as the "big 4" imo.

Stein, Parlane, Millar, Miller and Boyd must deserve a mention too.
Mols outstanding and what he could have done for us without the injury we'll never know but in the air he was pretty average so that took him imho out of the "all round category" same with Negri.
 
It's objectively true in every other sport. Come up with a plausible explanation why the sport you happen to have a strong emotional attachment to is the one exception.
According to your view let's consider a real comparison then. Steven Whittaker was an exceptional athlete and an ideal example of your vision of modern football. Are you seriously saying that Whittaker was better than a player who hated training and was termed "Lazy" by various commentators in the sixties, Jim Baxter. That's where your ridiculous argument breaks down.

I for one would welcome a player of Baxter's talent to play in my Amateur team any day of the week.
 
Mols outstanding and what he could have done for us without the injury we'll never know but in the air he was pretty average so that took him imho out of the "all round category" same with Negri.
I think applying that logic, Alfredo would drop out too.

I was in Rotterdam for his 2 outstanding headers, but overall his heading is definitely not in the class of Dado, Hateley, DJ, or even Stein, Parlane, Jelavic and Miller imo.

Definitely a weakness in his game.
 
Hateley scored some vital goals and at times carried us so I would probably say he just shades it from McCoist and DJ. I absolutely loved Jelavic and Dado, had we got Prso a bit earlier in his career I think he would have been a superstar for us.
 
Hateley scored some vital goals and at times carried us so I would probably say he just shades it from McCoist and DJ. I absolutely loved Jelavic and Dado, had we got Prso a bit earlier in his career I think he would have been a superstar for us.
And that's why football will always have us spellbound.

For me Derek Johnstone was a better all round footballer than Mark Hateley. Derek Johnstone's goal scoring record speaks for itself and when you take into account his time at centre half and playing as a midfielder at times, it is even better.

But Hateley would be my foil to McCoist every day of the week.

My reasoning is quite simple. I saw Hateley score two goals at the cesspit that Derek Johnstone simply wasn't capable of scoring.

The opener back in Aug 91. Yup, the one when Derek Whyte launched himself into the back of the net when the ball was already nestling snugly at the bottom of it.

The second, the opener at the same rathole on Ne'erday 1994, when he latched on to the pass from Durie and bent it around the yahoo goalie.

DJ, simply wouldn't have had the legs for those two. Come to think of it, I doubt Roofe or Alfie would have either. Be nice to find out next month, mind.
 
And that's why football will always have us spellbound.

For me Derek Johnstone was a better all round footballer than Mark Hateley. Derek Johnstone's goal scoring record speaks for itself and when you take into account his time at centre half and playing as a midfielder at times, it is even better.

But Hateley would be my foil to McCoist every day of the week.

My reasoning is quite simple. I saw Hateley score two goals at the cesspit that Derek Johnstone simply wasn't capable of scoring.

The opener back in Aug 91. Yup, the one when Derek Whyte launched himself into the back of the net when the ball was already nestling snugly at the bottom of it.

The second, the opener at the same rathole on Ne'erday 1994, when he latched on to the pass from Durie and bent it around the yahoo goalie.

DJ, simply wouldn't have had the legs for those two. Come to think of it, I doubt Roofe or Alfie would have either. Be nice to find out next month, mind.
I don’t think DJ could have scored the screamer at Elland Road either.
As I said Hateley carried us at times, DJ was a great player but Hateley just shades it.
 
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Personal view only, without the injury Mols would have been our best ever, fantastic player.

We are not close yet to seeing the best of el buff, keep the pounds off, continue to develop and he is genuinely world class

My personal favourite and hero Colin Stein
 
McCoist - Scored a barrel load of goals, scored with both feet, scored with headers, took penalties, held up play and brought others into the game, could play on the shoulder of defenders, could run at defenders and jink past them, made sure even if he was involved in link up play that he was in the box to get back on the end of it, could play with his back to goal, could nip the ball off the toe of opponents, explosive pace over 5 yards to leave his man, scored screamers, overhead kicks, volleys and tap ins, a leader on the pitch and if he missed one or two he kept going until he got one. Scored goals in any company. Twice European golden boot.
 
Definitely a generational thing. I watched DJs entire career and he was fantastic. Think it was season 77-78 when he hit almost 40 goals. Outstanding. Almost seemed like if the ball was in the box he was putting it in the net. Older relatives will tell me Jim Forrest every day of the week.

Hateley comes close as the 'complete striker' who was just excellent at every facet of the game and then there's Super Ally. Did any Rangers striker give us so much fun and enjoyment over such a prolonged period? Guys just a Rangers Legend.

Too many to choose from and we will all just go with the one who was seminal to our life as a Rangers supporter. I'd probably go with DJ, but Ally's sheer volume of goals has to count for something.

Not sure how true it is, but I've read DJ would wake up hungover at house parties then go and lead the line for us.
 
According to your view let's consider a real comparison then. Steven Whittaker was an exceptional athlete and an ideal example of your vision of modern football. Are you seriously saying that Whittaker was better than a player who hated training and was termed "Lazy" by various commentators in the sixties, Jim Baxter. That's where your ridiculous argument breaks down.

I for one would welcome a player of Baxter's talent to play in my Amateur team any day of the week.

No one said that. Stop talking rubbish. You've yet to explain why football is different from every other sport. Why did the players stop getting better after your favorites retired?
 
No one said that. Stop talking rubbish. You've yet to explain why football is different from every other sport. Why did the players stop getting better after your favorites retired?
I'm talking rubbish....just listen to yourself. You must either be on drugs or are delusional. Sport is not as black and white as you seem to think. Go back to watching cricket or sailing.
And by the way are my favourites not your favourites as well.

I think that we all should be told why you dont think Jim Baxter and Jim Forrest would not be good enough to be Professionals today.

The floor is yours .
 
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Negri was unplayable for 4 months then the squash ball incident cost us 10 in a row. Two goals stand out for me would be chipping Gilles Rousset from the edge of the box and the one against the Arabs where stewart mckimmie ended up in knots
 
All round striker, would have to agree with the op and say hateley. Strength, power, amazing in the air and scored a lot of goals. Top all round player.
 
I'm talking rubbish....just listen to yourself. You must either be on drugs or are delusional. Sport is not as black and white as you seem to think. Go back to watching cricket or sailing.
And by the way are my favourites not your favourites as well.

I think that we all should be told why you dont think Jim Baxter and Jim Forrest would not be good enough to be Professionals today.

The floor is yours .

You didn't answer. Football isn't special. Sorry.
 
Jimmy Millard, the man who could score goals, play as a striker, inside forward, half back, and inspire his team mates to keep going.

A great and greatly underestimated part of The Rangers history.
 
Another for Hateley. Would love to say Mccoist as he was my idol growing up. But all round game I’d give it to hateley. Too be fair we have been blessed with top quality strikers over the years.
 
Negri was the best out and out goalscorer. Mols would have been the best all round striker but for injury. Robbed of them both for different reasons.
 
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