Why then did it take former England manager Don Revie to organise a Testimonial Match for George Young at Brockville?

MrStruth

Well-Known Member
This is a good article from the Falkirk FC homepage on the career, before and after of the legendary Rangers and Scotland captain George Young.
I can vaguely remember much annoyance from older Rangers supporters that the Rangers board snubbed calls for the club to support and host a requested Testimonial match for a man that was one of the most famous figures in the clubs history.
He was in failing health and his businesses had collapsed when Don Revie stepped in and thanks to the support of Falkirk an all Stars match and a Testimonial dinner was arranged which helped bring comfort to big Corky.

His modesty was best summed up with a quote from 1986 speaking of other offers he had during his career ”I turned them all down and it didn’t take me long to say no. Glasgow Rangers was always going to be the only club for me. I am just so grateful that I had the chance to be part of them.”

 
This is a good article from the Falkirk FC homepage on the career, before and after of the legendary Rangers and Scotland captain George Young.
I can vaguely remember much annoyance from older Rangers supporters that the Rangers board snubbed calls for the club to support and host a requested Testimonial match for a man that was one of the most famous figures in the clubs history.
He was in failing health and his businesses had collapsed when Don Revie stepped in and thanks to the support of Falkirk an all Stars match and a Testimonial dinner was arranged which helped bring comfort to big Corky.

His modesty was best summed up with a quote from 1986 speaking of other offers he had during his career ”I turned them all down and it didn’t take me long to say no. Glasgow Rangers was always going to be the only club for me. I am just so grateful that I had the chance to be part of them.”

I have the programme for this game, if i knew how to attach photos i'dd add them
 
This is a good article from the Falkirk FC homepage on the career, before and after of the legendary Rangers and Scotland captain George Young.
I can vaguely remember much annoyance from older Rangers supporters that the Rangers board snubbed calls for the club to support and host a requested Testimonial match for a man that was one of the most famous figures in the clubs history.
He was in failing health and his businesses had collapsed when Don Revie stepped in and thanks to the support of Falkirk an all Stars match and a Testimonial dinner was arranged which helped bring comfort to big Corky.

His modesty was best summed up with a quote from 1986 speaking of other offers he had during his career ”I turned them all down and it didn’t take me long to say no. Glasgow Rangers was always going to be the only club for me. I am just so grateful that I had the chance to be part of them.”

Wasn't there a culture at Ibrox that lacked sympathy towards benefit matches for former players?
Rangers simply didn't believe in testimonials.
Whether people agree or not, there is an egalitarianism about this attitude as it eschews favouritism and eliminates disputes over who does and doesn't deserve such largesse.
 
I also have that programme, the strange thing about it is it gives you date of game but not the year

Yeah I see there is a date of Sunday 11th May on the front cover but no year although if you look on page 16 on the acknowledgements page it says the George Young Testimonial Fund 1986
 
Yeah I see there is a date of Sunday 11th May on the front cover but no year although if you look on page 16 on the acknowledgements page it says the George Young Testimonial Fund 1986
Yes I saw that, just thought it was unusual not to have the year on the front next to the date
 
I was at this match. Kevin Keegan played in it but he couldn't remember the match when I asked him about it at a sportsman's dinner a few years ago.
 
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I was there.
Got the prog as well.
Was on a Sunday iirc, not a big crowd.
 
Wasn't there a culture at Ibrox that lacked sympathy towards benefit matches for former players?
Rangers simply didn't believe in testimonials.
Whether people agree or not, there is an egalitarianism about this attitude as it eschews favouritism and eliminates disputes over who does and doesn't deserve such largesse.

I think its called principles.

In today's society people use emotional blackmail to promote causes that are based on sentiment rather than need. Very few people have the balls to challenge and argue against this sentiment. Much easier to just give in and go with the flow.

Rangers' stance on testimonials seems like a prime example. No doubt they were criticised for being cruel, unfeeling and hard hearted.
 
My late grandfather’s favourite ever player. He told stories of the Iron Curtain and the Dynamo Moscow team that beat them all but not the Rangers, not even with the legendary Tiger Khomich and 12 men.
 
Wasn't there a culture at Ibrox that lacked sympathy towards benefit matches for former players?
Rangers simply didn't believe in testimonials.
Whether people agree or not, there is an egalitarianism about this attitude as it eschews favouritism and eliminates disputes over who does and doesn't deserve such largesse.
Did you have chips with that dictionary? :)
 
I cant answer as to why Rangers didn't present George with a testimonial but Revie had strong Scottish connections. His wife was from Fife (her uncle was John Duncan ex- Leicester and Raith Rovers) and im sure he is buried in Edinburgh? Maybe his wife's family were blue noses?
 
This is a good article from the Falkirk FC homepage on the career, before and after of the legendary Rangers and Scotland captain George Young.
I can vaguely remember much annoyance from older Rangers supporters that the Rangers board snubbed calls for the club to support and host a requested Testimonial match for a man that was one of the most famous figures in the clubs history.
He was in failing health and his businesses had collapsed when Don Revie stepped in and thanks to the support of Falkirk an all Stars match and a Testimonial dinner was arranged which helped bring comfort to big Corky.

His modesty was best summed up with a quote from 1986 speaking of other offers he had during his career ”I turned them all down and it didn’t take me long to say no. Glasgow Rangers was always going to be the only club for me. I am just so grateful that I had the chance to be part of them.”

An interesting but also sad read about one of the great Rangers players.
A Rangers Legend.
 
There is a softer approach to most things in life since 1986.
I do understand that if you do it for one then the flood gates open for the rest.
 
I remember being in a boozer near Brockville before a game in the mid / late 80's. The pub was heaving and big Korky was standing at the bar with people lining up to get him a drink. I never seen him play, so I was chuffed to have got near him, but it was only afterwards that I began to feel a little bit bittersweet about it. For such an iconic figure in our history, we could have kept him closer I feel.
 
I cant answer as to why Rangers didn't present George with a testimonial but Revie had strong Scottish connections. His wife was from Fife (her uncle was John Duncan ex- Leicester and Raith Rovers) and im sure he is buried in Edinburgh? Maybe his wife's family were blue noses?
One of Revie,s famous team talks was when his Leeds side we’re playing a lower league side to guard against complacency he said ‘You know Cowdenbeath once beat the Rangers’.
 
Rangers apparently had a “flexible” policy of no testimonial matches for players. Willie Henderson had been promised one in the late 1960’s but Waddell reneged on this circa 1971 announcing “you’ve had enough out of this club.”

John Greig’s testimonial in 1978 was followed by testimonials for Colin Jackson, Sandy Jardine, and Tom Forsyth, rendering it curious that a request for George Young was declined.

Derek Johnstone and Alex McDonald also expressed disappointment at the lack of recognition for their long service.
 
I should also have mentioned that Don Revie approached the Rangers board in 1983 regarding a benefit match for George Young . He met with John Paton and Rae Simpson.
 
How many players have we given a testimonial to? And have there been any retrospective ones ? Doubt we'll see many in the future.
 
Rangers apparently had a “flexible” policy of no testimonial matches for players. Willie Henderson had been promised one in the late 1960’s but Waddell reneged on this circa 1971 announcing “you’ve had enough out of this club.”

John Greig’s testimonial in 1978 was followed by testimonials for Colin Jackson, Sandy Jardine, and Tom Forsyth, rendering it curious that a request for George Young was declined.

Derek Johnstone and Alex McDonald also expressed disappointment at the lack of recognition for their long service.

Also remember attending one against New Zealand for Billy McKay whose career was ended by injury if memory serves.
 
Not sure there were many testimonials for former players, except maybe the odd one whose career had recently been ended by injury. I can't think of any at all where the player had retired about thirty years beforehand.
 
There was a table reserved for the club at George's testimonial dinner.
It lay empty all night.
I have no idea what the issue(s) were between the club and George, but it left a bad taste that one of our most iconic players was not thought worthy of representation by the club.
I'd rate George Young as the greatest captain our club has ever had just ahead of John Greig.
 
There was a table reserved for the club at George's testimonial dinner.
It lay empty all night.
I have no idea what the issue(s) were between the club and George, but it left a bad taste that one of our most iconic players was not thought worthy of representation by the club.
I'd rate George Young as the greatest captain our club has ever had just ahead of John Greig.
I would have Gough, Greig, and Meiklejohn ahead of him
 
I was at the game with my dad and granda and still have the programme too, obviously Young was well before my time, the great attraction for the then 11 year old me and a few mates was seeing Kevin Keegan play in our hometown!
 
List of players/managers granted a testimonial by Rangers.

John Greig
Colin Jackson
Sandy Jardine
Tom Forsyth
Billy Mackay
Davie Cooper
Ally McCoist
Scott Nisbet
Richard Gough
Walter Smith
Ian Durrant
Alan McLaren
Ian Ferguson
John Brown

I think that about covers it so it is not a very big list.
 
I read what our former chairman John Paton said back in 1986 about why the club had declined a testimonial and in all honesty I have a fair amount of sympathy with what he had to say. George Young retired 30 years previously and became involved in a hotel business. I said in another thread on here a couple of weeks ago that some of our supporters felt that Young had retired prematurely and that in many ways had left the club in the lurch at the time. Young was a great servant to the club but my own opinion is that the decision by the club not to become involved in a testimonial 30 years after his retirement was not unreasonable.
 
There was a table reserved for the club at George's testimonial dinner.
It lay empty all night.
I have no idea what the issue(s) were between the club and George, but it left a bad taste that one of our most iconic players was not thought worthy of representation by the club.
I'd rate George Young as the greatest captain our club has ever had just ahead of John Greig.

I can understand the reasons for not having a testimonial for someone who retired 30 years previously. At this particular point only four of our players had had one. In hindsight this is where a former players benevolent fund was needed. I do find it disappointing though that we seem to have been poorly represented at the events which were subsequently organised, both the game and the dinner.
 
I read what our former chairman John Paton said back in 1986 about why the club had declined a testimonial and in all honesty I have a fair amount of sympathy with what he had to say. George Young retired 30 years previously and became involved in a hotel business. I said in another thread on here a couple of weeks ago that some of our supporters felt that Young had retired prematurely and that in many ways had left the club in the lurch at the time. Young was a great servant to the club but my own opinion is that the decision by the club not to become involved in a testimonial 30 years after his retirement was not unreasonable.
I agree.
However,the failure to take up an invitation to his testimonial dinner was,in my opinion,shameful.
 
I understand the reasoning behind the Alan McLaren testimonial, but it still seems mental to me that he got one and the likes of DJ and Doddie didn't.
 
I cant answer as to why Rangers didn't present George with a testimonial but Revie had strong Scottish connections. His wife was from Fife (her uncle was John Duncan ex- Leicester and Raith Rovers) and im sure he is buried in Edinburgh? Maybe his wife's family were blue noses?
Sounds very O-Grade English Shakespeare, esp. MacBeth - "The Thane of Fife had a wife"
 
Wasn't there a culture at Ibrox that lacked sympathy towards benefit matches for former players?
Rangers simply didn't believe in testimonials.
Whether people agree or not, there is an egalitarianism about this attitude as it eschews favouritism and eliminates disputes over who does and doesn't deserve such largesse.
Eventually 10 years service entitled a player to a Testimonial.
 
There was a table reserved for the club at George's testimonial dinner.
It lay empty all night.
I have no idea what the issue(s) were between the club and George, but it left a bad taste that one of our most iconic players was not thought worthy of representation by the club.
I'd rate George Young as the greatest captain our club has ever had just ahead of John Greig
I read what our former chairman John Paton said back in 1986 about why the club had declined a testimonial and in all honesty I have a fair amount of sympathy with what he had to say. George Young retired 30 years previously and became involved in a hotel business. I said in another thread on here a couple of weeks ago that some of our supporters felt that Young had retired prematurely and that in many ways had left the club in the lurch at the time. Young was a great servant to the club but my own opinion is that the decision by the club not to become involved in a testimonial 30 years after his retirement was not unreasonable.

My late father expressed similar sentiments as you "Jimbear." While a fan of the "Iron Curtain" team, he opined that they were handsomely compensated for their efforts - far more than my father and his mates in McNair Street, Shettleston who worked at Parkhead Forge!
 
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