What a wonderful Sunday read about our greatest ever player.

[bornabear 6,202]

3 hours ago, Bobby Hume said:

👍

Not an easy one mate .... as there were many great players over the years who .... in their own way .... would be in the running for that coveted title.

Anyone who witnessed his best form ..... would be in no doubt that Baxter was the best individual football talent Scotland had ever produced .... he was and is my choice as the greatest ever Scottish Rangers player ... but I was not upset when that accolade went to John Greig for his stalwart presence in a Rangers jersey .... as they were both colossal for The Rangers ..... like many before them also .... it's what we were built on that has made us what we are today.

Of course It's subjective who a person thinks is the greatest ever Rangers player .... and as there have been so many wonderful players who have come to play for us ... it is somewhat difficult to compare their talents and choose an overall winner ... with the likes of Baxter though ... as he was so talented as far as pure football skills go  .... it made my choice that bit easier ..... but the choice of the greatest Rangers player will forever be down to what was personally witnessed by the individuals themselves. 

.

 

 

Good post Bobby, like you, I saw and was bedazzled with the genius of Jim Baxter. So, for our time, he will be the greatest Ranger.

Whatever the decade, whatever the generation, there will always be debate as to who was the greatest Ranger, which is natural in opinion.

I could easily pick very good players using the ten year gap 1955 - 1965, all of whom would be someone's greatest  Ranger, that's how good those players were.

[eejay the dj 31,964]

Baxter was magnificent . What an OF record . Only 2 losses

Gazza also had a brilliant record in the short time here . Only playing in losing side as a sub once . Truly both legends of our great club

[fitalspark 72]

Didn't know about the Old Firm record, but I saw enough of Slim Jim in the early sixties to be absolutely convinced he was the best footballer to wear our jersey. He was simply up there at the top of the pile back in the day. Difficult for an old codger to compare the best then with the so-called superstars of today, but I'm convinced he would be up there. It's all about personal opinions of course. 

And he had that gallous swagger as well, just glorious.,...

[AlCapone 7,678]

8 hours ago, BookWorm said:

I have his biography.

Was it less reading?

[hammer time 653]

A generation before my time but i was lucky enough to be at a sportsman’s dinner at the park hotel in Falkirk a couple of months before he died, everybody there to a man regardless of team they supported gave him a standing ovation when he finished

[Davy Vandenbroucke 26,148]

On 23 June 2019 at 16:04, backup said:

You have been, don't mention it  👍

Cut it out.

Final warning.

[TheCutch 4,340]

The truth is that none of us can say who the greatest ever Rangers player is or was.

Sadly, there will be no Bears left living who can tell us about players we had around about the turn of the 20th century. We can read about them, but never having seen them play means that we all just have our own opinions on who was the greatest.

Most people will obviously go with a player of their own particular generation and will champion that players as being the best.

But it is a question with no 100% correct answer given the fact we are approaching 150yrs of quality footballers. 

[RFC55 108,862]

3 hours ago, TheCutch said:

The truth is that none of us can say who the greatest ever Rangers player is or was.

Sadly, there will be no Bears left living who can tell us about players we had around about the turn of the 20th century. We can read about them, but never having seen them play means that we all just have our own opinions on who was the greatest.

Most people will obviously go with a player of their own particular generation and will champion that players as being the best.

But it is a question with no 100% correct answer given the fact we are approaching 150yrs of quality footballers. 

Minus 2012-2017/18

 

[weejock 20]

Undoubted genius of a player. Flawed genius too. Alcoholism and two liver transplants eventually killed him. George Best and later on Paul Gascoigne went down (and Gazza still going down) the same route. Were there ever more skillful players in Scottish football? (Ok Best late in his career with Hibs). They were just better than anyone round about them.  I wonder just how good these guys would have been if they were tee-total? 

[HuistraHairDo 12,490]

“Moderation,  as far as I’m concerned is for moderate people”

 

This sums the guy up for me. Had the arrogance of being better than everyone else simply because he was better than everyone else.

[Laudrup1 4]

On 23/06/2019 at 14:54, .Williamson. said:

Again that's another title that's given to about 4 different people. 

As for Baxter being our greatest ever player I can't really argue because I'm not old enough to have seen him and there's really nowhere near the same amount of footage as the likes of Cooper, Laudrup and Gazza have available. I know a lot of older guys do claim that though 

Was just wondering if he actually was better than the likes of which I have mentioned 

 

My Dad always said Baxter was our best ever. He'd been going to Ibrox since just after the war and I grew up on stories of Jim just being the best. 

Then Laudrup turned up and he changed his mind, just. 

[backup 4,724]

No more needs said.

[Davy Vandenbroucke 26,148]

1 minute ago, backup said:

No more needs said.

Pele seems like a bit of a mentalist though.

[bigblueyonder 11,156]

49 minutes ago, Bronzy said:

Pele seems like a bit of a mentalist though.

Pure mad shagger as well. 

[Bobby Hume 13,041]

5 hours ago, Laudrup1 said:

 

My Dad always said Baxter was our best ever. He'd been going to Ibrox since just after the war and I grew up on stories of Jim just being the best. 

Then Laudrup turned up and he changed his mind, just. 

👍

I was of similar opinion when Laudrup appeared mate .... just like your Dad .... another magical talent who .... like Slim .... just blew the opposition players out the park ..... then we have Gazza .... a similarly talented player who was capable of turning nothing into something spectacular.

All in all for magic .... Baxter is my  best Scottish Rangers player ..... Laudrup my choice for best foreign Rangers Player ..... both closely followed by Gazza ..... absolute mind-blowing  talents .... each and everyone of them.

 

[backup 4,724]

6 minutes ago, Bobby Hume said:

👍

I was of similar opinion when Laudrup appeared mate .... just like your Dad .... another magical talent who .... like Slim .... just blew the opposition players out the park ..... then we have Gazza .... a similarly talented player who was capable of turning nothing into something spectacular.

All in all for magic .... Baxter is my  best Scottish Rangers player ..... Laudrup my choice for best foreign Rangers Player ..... both closely followed by Gazza ..... absolute mind-blowing  talents .... each and everyone of them.

 

Good points Boab, pity the usual fukwits appear and denigrate a serious subject and the memory of  a great Ranger.

[cstamomusa 3,809]

16 minutes ago, Bobby Hume said:

👍

I was of similar opinion when Laudrup appeared mate .... just like your Dad .... another magical talent who .... like Slim .... just blew the opposition players out the park ..... then we have Gazza .... a similarly talented player who was capable of turning nothing into something spectacular.

All in all for magic .... Baxter is my  best Scottish Rangers player ..... Laudrup my choice for best foreign Rangers Player ..... both closely followed by Gazza ..... absolute mind-blowing  talents .... each and everyone of them.

 

I find it hard  to do comparisons of  players that have played for us over the years.  The equipment,  field conditions, training etc.  are now soo different than back when Baxter played.   All I know was he was one of my favorite players and no matter who was the best overall I am glad they played for us.  

[billscott 2,463]

10 minutes ago, cstamomusa said:

I find it hard  to do comparisons of  players that have played for us over the years.  The equipment,  field conditions, training etc.  are now soo different than back when Baxter played.   All I know was he was one of my favorite players and no matter who was the best overall I am glad they played for us.  

baxter was the best i saw over the past 60 odd years i remember being at falkirk when Rangers won 7 nil and davie wilson scored 6   hard to believe but the motm was not davie but baxter he was incredible that day

[Bobby Hume 13,041]

16 minutes ago, cstamomusa said:

I find it hard  to do comparisons of  players that have played for us over the years.  The equipment,  field conditions, training etc.  are now soo different than back when Baxter played.   All I know was he was one of my favorite players and no matter who was the best overall I am glad they played for us.  

👍

You're right of course mate .... the modern game and training methods has become pretty scientific based ... which is not a bad thing ..... but in the era Baxter played in .... it was all about talent as a less athletic player you will never find than him.

It was the magic he could turn on with that famous left foot of his .... that few today can command .... they were all that was needed to lift the whole stadium to delirious joy at the audacity of the man.

It was a great compliment from Pele ... but like you I am glad he was Scottish and forever grateful he played for us along with the many other greats who have graced our Club.

 

[MisterC 12,270]

A great read, thanks for posting. I'll add my tuppence worth to the greatest Ranger debate, surely Alan Morton would have to be up there. Not just how  good a player he was and his accomplishments, but his longevity as a player. He  was the first player to join the board on retirement as a player and I'm sure he was on the board when he died.