David Meiklejohn

[julescotia 11,407]

Good piece of David Meiklejohn in yesterdays rag.

David Meiklejohn fought the odds to savour glory as Ranger great but remains defined by his compassion in one of football's darkest hours

He survived the plague, a bus crash and a vicious fan assault to go on to become a definitive Rangers legend.

Ex Rangers and Scotland captain Davie Meiklejohn

RANGERS legend Davie Meiklejohn survived many battles during a glory-laden career with the Light Blues that spanned 16 years.

But none were as great as the fight he faced when he was born into the world in 1900 – during an outbreak of the bubonic plague in Govan.

A new book, The Greatest Ranger Ever?, has chronicled the career of the fabled right-half, whom many reckon is the best player to have pulled on the shirt.

Meiklejohn, who died in 1959, won 13 championships at Ibrox and is best remembered for his opening goal in the 1928 Scottish Cup Final, when Rangers defeated arch rivals Celtic 4-0.

He netted from the spot to put Bill Struth’s side on course to lift the famous old trophy for the first time in 25 years and end all talk of a Hampden hoodoo.

The Celtic No.1 that afternoon was John Thomson and Meiklejohn also played that fateful afternoon in September 1931 when “The Prince of Goalkeepers” paid the ultimate price as he bravely dived at the feet of striker Sam English.

The football world stopped just five minutes into the second half and it was said the haunting shriek of Thomson’s fiancee Margaret Finlay could be heard from the main stand at Ibrox above the noise of the 80,000 crowd.

Meiklejohn realised the severity of the incident almost immediately and ran behind the goal to the terracing populated with Rangers supporters. Unaware of the extent of the keeper’s injuries they were jeering and shouting for Thomson to get up but Meiklejohn instructed the fans to quieten down and within moments silence had blanketed the terracing.

Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson dives at the feet of Rangers striker Sam English

The popular Fife-born keeper had suffered a depressed fracture of the skull and after receiving lengthy treatment on the park was stretchered off and rushed to the Victoria Infirmary where he died later that night.

Remarkable scenes were witnessed at Trinity Congregational Church in Glasgow when a memorial service for the player, who was capped for Scotland four times, attracted thousands of people.

So dense was the crowd there were genuine fears for the safety of those seeking admission to the church and police reinforcements were summoned to regulate the struggling throng.

At 2.30pm, when the doors opened, 2000 men and women tried to gain admission. In their haste to get inside they rushed the doors and some even scaled exterior railings.

Many became wedged in the doorway and women shrieked with alarm but eventually two policemen managed to force a passage up the middle and succeeded in stemming the rush.

A number of Thomson’s football colleagues were unable to gain admission, among them Peter Wilson, Celtic’s right-half, who was scheduled to read one of the lessons.

Meiklejohn stepped in to cover for his rival and looked visibly shaken by the whole affair. The congregation fell silent while the “Death March” was played. English sat head bowed throughout the service, a pale shadow of his former self.

Meiklejohn never lived more than a 10-mile radius from Ibrox and had been snapped up by Rangers from Maryhill Juniors in 1919 for a £10 transfer fee and a new corrugated iron fence for their Lochburn Park ground.

The talented teen made his top-team Rangers debut against Aberdeen at Pittodrie, in the days when the players travelled by train and walked from the station to the ground to “stretch their legs”.

John Thomson, who played as a goalkeeper for Celtic and the Scotland national football team, died as a result of an accidental collision with Rangers player Sam English during an Old Firm match at Ibrox.

One of his low points was in 1922 when Rangers travelled to Denmark for a close-season tour and at the end of the final game local hooligans invaded the pitch and Meiklejohn was knocked unconscious by a punch to the head.

The incident was so serious the Danish players had to form a human chain around the Rangers players until police managed to restore order. Meiklejohn was carried from the field and eventually regained consciousness in the quiet of the pavilion.

He also survived a horror bus crash in Glasgow a couple of years later when he was returning to his home on Copland Road with team-mate Willie Hair following a night out.

Their bus was forced to swerve on the Paisley Road to avoid an oncoming vehicle – but crashed through the front window of a grocer’s shop.

Seven passengers were badly injured and Meiklejohn was taken to Plantation police station where he awaited the arrival of a casualty surgeon to examine an injury to his left knee.

When asked by a reporter how he was feeling Meiklejohn, then aged 25, said: “In the pink. I’m hopeful the injury won’t interfere with my football.”

John Thomson's coffin is taken from house via the window at his funeral.

Meiklejohn was the first Ranger to be granted a benefit match which they lost 5-1 to Huddersfield. A talented golfer, he was a regular on the Old Course at St Andrews with manager Bill Struth. He played cricket, owned greyhounds and was voted Scotland’s Player of the Year in 1933 and retired in 1936, his final season cut short through injury.

He proved a shrewd judge of a player and gave a glowing report on a young winger Struth had asked him to assess for the club – Willie Waddell, who would go on to star at Ibrox before leading the team to glory in the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972.

He announced his retirement in a letter to the Daily Record in May 1937 and two months later became a sports reporter for the paper, a job he held for 10 years before leaving to take charge of Partick Thistle.

He stayed at Firhill for 12 years but died suddenly in the director’s box at Broomfield, immediately after his Jags side had lost to Airdrie.

In 2009, Meiklejohn was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame – fittingly it was another Ibrox legend, the late Sandy Jardine, who collected the award in his memory.

• The Greatest Rangers Ever? by Jeff Holmes is released by Pitch Publishing on October 24, priced £18.99.
  

[WadeWilson 4,670]

I thought it was in today's Mail, mate...

And no-one on here cares because there is nothing to moan about or get angry or bitter about.

http://forum.rangers...howtopic=274749

[julescotia 11,407]

I thought it was in today's Mail, mate...

And no-one on here cares because there is nothing to moan about or get angry or bitter about.

http://forum.rangers...howtopic=274749

Didn't see the earlier thread, and you're probably right about no-one caring as they can't moan.

It was in yesterdays paper though, read it at work.

[ianb1547 3,767]

Great piece.......and puts into perspective what is important...and what isn't.

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

Cheers mate

[minstral 5,375]

Great read and shows what the club is really all about.

[eskbankloyal 19,446]

There is some good stuff in here about Meiklejohn: http://rangersfacts.thecoplandroad.org/search/label/David%20Meiklejohn?m=1

In my opinion, he is the greatest Ranger. His contribution & importance of the Struth era is often overlooked. Without him, it could easily be argued Struth would never have been as successful as he was.

A true Ranger.

[Straight-Edge-Loyal 6,699]

Sounds like a true hero of our club shame im not old enough to remember him at all

[TheBluebells 6,898]

Enjoyed that, real shame about the incident with the keeper, terrible stuff.

Always good to read up on club legends, especially as a younger supporter.

[One Jock Wallace 858]

Cheers for posting

[NixonRFC 1,475]

Classy guy, wish there was more said about guys like this, a shinning example of wht we as fans expect from our players

[thedarvelmarvel 796]

meiklejohn simpson and brown old guys used to say our best ever half back line.

[Drunk and disorderly. 14,748]

Good read that. Massive contribution to Rangers.

Shame that some see players who stick by our Club as charlatans now-days.

[ianb1547 3,767]

I think its woeful that a thread about one of the greatest Rangers ever has attracted only 12 responses in 7 hours....... as opposed to 17 pages about a flag flying for a Scotland game

[eskbankloyal 19,446]

I think its woeful that a thread about one of the greatest Rangers ever has attracted only 12 responses in 7 hours....... as opposed to 17 pages about a flag flying for a Scotland game

[10pshortof17pound 2,533]

Forty or fifty years on from now can you see a similar story being told about any of our recent or current players? I think not. Our exemplary role models are all in the past - I just hope we eventually rise again to the status that these gentlemen of the game took us to. Mostly forged under the Struth regime, reflecting his values. Less said about these charlatans that currently besmirch that famous name the better.

[One Jock Wallace 858]

Interesting to see the author also wrote Blue Thunder the Jock Wallace story. Think I'll be asking this for Christmas. Love to read stories of the men who made us great. Sadly it's a bygone era that the modern game & money has taken over.

Davie Meiklejohn had few equals in British football between the wars. According to his admiring contemporaries, he was 'a tactical genius', 'ahead of his time' - 'the greatest ever Ranger'. Fast-tracked by manager William Wilton, the former Maryhill junior was part of a title-winning side in his debut season. There would be many more championships to celebrate for this born leader, though Rangers' failure to lift the Scottish Cup for 25 long years became a music-hall joke - until May, 1928, when Meik led his team to a hoodoo-busting 4-0 rout of arch rivals Celtic. In 1931 the tragic on-field death of Celtic keeper John Thomson saw Meiklejohn at his dignified, inspirational best. He enjoyed international adventures, a post-playing career in journalism and a twelve-year stint as manager of Partick Thistle - yet at the height of his fame, Meik lived in a modest two-bedroomed flat, no more than 100 yards from Ibrox.

About the Author

Jeff Holmes is the author of Blue Thunder: The Jock Wallace Story as well as A History of Scottish Television. After a long career in TV, Jeff became a newspaper reporter and is now part of the team at Media Scotland, covering football for the Daily Record and Sunday Mail. He remains, as ever, a staunch fan of Rangers.

[jamess 3,453]

The history of the club and players is very important, and always reminds us what being a Ranger is. The support understand. Hope we get a board and owners that understand. The current mob just don't understand that we're not just a business to be toyed with for profit.

[Tontospal 1,116]

A good read about a true Rangers legend on and off the field.

Our history is full of great men that always put Rangers first and made us such a widely respected institution.

One can only wonder what they would make of the actions of recent so-called Rangers men, especially those who almost brought an end to the history which they enriched and made so special.

[bluedart1952 1,378]

A big thank you to Julescotia for posting this article,it will definitely be in my stocking this Christmas.

[Blumhoilann 6,712]

Definitely be buying this

[gmcf 34,716]

Thanks for posting. Really enjoyed that.

One of my favourite Rangers books is ' We Will Follow Rangers ' by Hugh Taylor where he has a chapter on the Scottish Cup hoodoo of 1928 . When Rangers get the penalty at 0 - 0 in the 2nd half , Davie Meiklejohn says to Alan Morton , whose holding the ball , ' Give it to me , Alan , I'm taking the penalty ' .

I know of ' writer's license ' ,but from what I've read about DM , and how he took on responsibility , I'll bet that's not far off from what happened .

[thedarvelmarvel 796]

Thanks for posting. Really enjoyed that.

One of my favourite Rangers books is ' We Will Follow Rangers ' by Hugh Taylor where he has a chapter on the Scottish Cup hoodoo of 1928 . When Rangers get the penalty at 0 - 0 in the 2nd half , Davie Meiklejohn says to Alan Morton , whose holding the ball , ' Give it to me , Alan , I'm taking the penalty ' .

I know of ' writer's license ' ,but from what I've read about DM , and how he took on responsibility , I'll bet that's not far off from what happened .

the story i heard from my grandfather that it was a wet and windy day and the ball kept blowing off the spot ,the tension and noise just unbelievable....