Derek Johnstone: I'm delighted to be back as Ibrox Ambassador

[Smile 26,610]

 

I signed my first professional deal with Rangers in season 1969/70. This week, I put pen-to-paper once again at Ibrox to rejoin the club in an ambassadorial role.

It is always a privilege to be involved with Rangers and it brought back a lot of memories when I signed my new contract.

It is great to be back, and I am back at a good time I think. I speak to a lot of the supporters and they are really looking forward to the season with Steven Gerrard coming in.

I am joining at the same time as Steven, but he will get slightly more publicity to be fair! But I am delighted to be able to do my bit and play my part as an ambassador.


It is not often that something comes up and you get to do what you want to do, especially at my age. But I am just delighted and I can’t wait to get in and get started in the coming days.

I wasn’t born into the Rangers family, as people know. Coming from Dundee, my family were United fans.

But within weeks of coming through to Glasgow, that all changed and my life changed. My colours have been red, white and blue ever since.

It is nearly 50 years since I walked through the doors for the first time and to still be associated with the club to this day is fantastic.

We have had some bad times over that period, but there has been many, many great ones and winning two Trebles in the 70s was brilliant, coming after Barcelona in ’72.

There have been many great occasions, wonderful players and memorable matches and I hope there are plenty more to come for the club.

I think good times are ahead, without a shadow of a doubt. And I am delighted to be back at the club as we look to move forward.

It is a huge honour for me and I am thrilled to be brought on board and join legends like Richard Gough and Mark Hateley in an ambassadorial position.

They are both icons of Rangers Football Club and I am pleased that the club felt I was the man to go in there and help them out.

You take each day as it comes and any time I am wanted for anything with Rangers, I am available. It is as simple as that.


Anything that the club want me to get involved in, I will do so. Apart from the football side of it, of course. I will leave that to the manager.

It could be anything from showing people around Auchenhowie to picking players up at the airport and hopefully I will be a face that folk recognise. I will help where I can at the various golf days and charity events and I am really looking forward to it.

I will be working at Ibrox on a Saturday so there will be no radio for me at the weekend. Matchday is all about Rangers Football Club.

But, I won’t be completely off the airwaves. I will still be on once a week and doing the Friday show, so you will still hear my dulcet tones on Radio Clyde.


When I am on, you will get my usual firm, fair and impartial views on Scottish football. I have done that for thirty odd years, and that won’t change.

The one set of people you can’t fool is the fans and my style in my weekly SportTimes column and on the radio won’t change.

I am a fan as well and I want to see Rangers do well, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be critical when the team has played badly or when there are issues to be addressed.

I have never been one to really go for players and make it personal. There is no need for that.

If someone has not had a good game, you say that. It is about how you say it, though, and that goes for every player, not just Rangers players.


I have always had respect for the people that I am talking about and I think managers, players and directors deserve that respect.

Everyone has bad games and everyone makes bad decisions but it is about how you judge them and in that regard I will continue to call it as I see it.

That respect for people in football is maybe something that has gone out of the game when it comes to some pundits. For me, some of the criticism is over the top.

Hopefully I won't have to be too harsh a judge of what Steven, Gary McAllister and the players are doing at Rangers this season and I wish them all the best for the new campaign.

There have been a lot of negatives surrounding Rangers over the last few years and there have been some really disappointing seasons.

So it is good to see the smiles back on the faces of supporters again, and the people that work around the club. They are happy, and when they are like that things get done.

I think I am coming in at a really good time and, like the fans, I have really high hopes of what the season could bring for Rangers.

It is going to be a fascinating period and it will be brilliant to meet Steven and his staff and hear what their plans are for the club going forward.

If I had to make a wish, this would have been one of them. To be at the club at my age, it really is fantastic and hopefully the Rangers family have plenty to celebrate again soon.

[K.A.I 36,183]

Ambassador? The useless fat bastard can’t even stick up for us on Radio Catholic when we get called cheats and whatever else 

 

[Perth_Campsie_Ger 17,997]

Has he resigned from Clyde then?

[harlands plater 16,982]

“You’re right, Hugh”.

[Perth_Campsie_Ger 17,997]

Pretty embarrassing tbh would rather have got someone that talks highly of us rather than a taig appeaser 

[Bydo 3,215]

First thing he should do is tell Clyde to stick their job up their arse.

If he doesn’t do that then he can fuck off.

[SheriffHood 536]

How the fuck did this fat, uncle tom, taig appeasing cunt get anywhere near an ambassadors role at Rangers. 

[Big Al 55 9,252]

Good luck to him the club obviously means a lot to him. Unfortunately he's not clever enough to fight our corner with the off field stuff in the past while.

Let's hope it's all about the football this season.

[gsa 3,906]

5 minutes ago, Big Al II said:

Good luck to him the club obviously means a lot to him. Unfortunately he's not clever enough to fight our corner with the off field stuff in the past while.

Let's hope it's all about the football this season.

Agree with this. He's not articulate enough and always comes off second best in any debate concerning us.

[LochendBilly 8,413]

A fantastic player for us, grew up watching him and he played centre half and centre forward. It's easy to criticise the guy on his tranny work but he was a cracking big player.

[Drunk and disorderly. 14,457]

We could have done a lot worse than DJ as club ambassador. If we tried really hard that is.

 

 

 

MOH for instance.

 

The interview panel clearly don't listen to the radio or read the Evening Times. Then again, it's 2018, so no cunt does. 

Let's hope he starts talking like a legend again and grows a set of balls. 

[Drunk and disorderly. 14,457]

45 minutes ago, K.A.I said:

Ambassador? The useless fat bastard can’t even stick up for us on Radio Catholic when we get called cheats and whatever else 

 

He is probably signing our titles away in that photo. 

[bornabear 6,202]

1 minute ago, Drunk and disorderly. said:

We could have done a lot worse than DJ as ambassador. If we tried really hard that is.

 

 

 

MOH for instance.

 

The interview panel clearly don't listen to the radio or read the Evening Times. Then again, it's 2018, so no cunt does. 

Let's hope he starts talking like a legend again and grows a set of balls. 

Exactly what I was about to write. A big guy with tiny balls.

[cushynumber 25,178]

sounds like a great job

[Drunk and disorderly. 14,457]

1 minute ago, bornabear said:

Exactly what I was about to write. A big guy with tiny balls.

The board played a blinder yesterday then follow it up by apparently  wasting a wage today. 

I will give DJ a chance but my expectations are very low at the moment. 

[backup 4,724]

I hope DJ reads Davie Meiklejohn's book before he takes up his position, it may show him the error of empathy towards those who are our enemies.

[geronimoo 1,474]

26 minutes ago, Big Al II said:

Good luck to him the club obviously means a lot to him. Unfortunately he's not clever enough to fight our corner with the off field stuff in the past while.

Let's hope it's all about the football this season.

I've said that before, I know loads of folks give him pelters for his Clyde radio stuff but at the end of the day he is more or less just a supporter like us and doesn't have any special knowledge or info about what is going on at the club.

[eskbankloyal 19,446]

Oh ffs.

[CoatbridgeBear 7,113]

58 minutes ago, K.A.I said:

Ambassador? The useless fat bastard can’t even stick up for us on Radio Catholic when we get called cheats and whatever else 

 

This all fucking day.

[hammer93 15,057]

Well if he is to be an ambassador for Rangers and sits on R.C on a Monday night and lets  the usual get said then he ain't doing his job and should get sacked but he may have a different approach and get stuck back in as he should have a duty to defend our club.....I won't hold my breath but can only hope.

[Zulu 981]

What the fuck are we like taking on this fukin lard arsed coward

[LochendBilly 8,413]

1 minute ago, hammer93 said:

Well if he is to be an ambassador for Rangers and sits on R.C on a Monday night and lets  the usual get said then he ain't doing his job and should get sacked but he may have a different approach and get stuck back in as he should have a duty to defend our club.....I won't hold my breath but can only hope.

Spot on, if he is going to be on once a week and do the Friday show as quoted, he needs to be defensive about our club(His employer), anything less will be cuntery.

[Thornliebanktrueblue 667]

16 yo Scottish cup final goal. 

Went awol to with Jock

1972 winner.  

Big Derek is a Rangers Legend. In his media role he tried to be impartial.  We have become so adept at criticising our own.  

We want our ledgends to mythological gods. 

Big Derek. Legend in my eyes. Welcome back to where you belong. 

[BLUEDIGNITY 33,647]

Minder for moh !

[Malvern 11,329]

One step forward, two steps back. Let the dance commence.