Maurice Johnston

[beararse 6,375]

With the old firm game looming I thought it was worth posting this wee video :)

What a signing he was in every possible way!

6.24 and 8.35 show exactly what it meant to him playing for Rangers.

Fucking loved him.

 

[Inigo 32,526]

He was above all a top professional that loved scoring goals. Didn't really matter who he did it for. Always got the feeling he enjoyed his time with us though.

There was nothing like seeing him score against sellic. The ultimate wind up and he revelled in it. Especially that first against them. 89 or so minute winner at Ibrox. Still one of the best feelings and celebrations of any goal I've experienced at Ibrox.

[Inigo 32,526]

Fantastic striker.

[Bearsden bear 2,376]

I was pretty young back then, but i remember the fallout from the tims.....delicious 💙

[Fred H Crawford 1,182]

Top class striker and great signing , his all round work-rate and enthusiasm when playing for us was a pleasure to watch as well as his finishing . TBH , I was disappointed when Walter allowed him to move on , but history shows that the form of McCoist & Hateley in the next few seasons meant it was the right move . I seem to recall that Walter was interested in bringing him back a few years later when we had a few injuries , can't remember if he was at Hearts or Falkirk at the time ! 

The fallout from the tarriers , and the memory of some of our subsequent signings who followed him , also add to the pleasure he gave .

[Willis 20,919]

Was too young to remember him as a player but my Dad used to tell me about how he lived abroad when MJ signed and my granda called to give him the news thinking my dad would be upset, but my dad said "why would I be upset? Were 1-0 up and the season hasn't even begun"

To me it seems the way the media talk about Johnston's signing it's as though Rangers fans were just as angry about it as the taigs and still are, when I reality I don't think I've ever met a bear who's still angry that we signed Johnston and most see it as one of the biggest GIRUY's we've ever given them

[plumbGER 24,518]

I was only 8 or 9 when he signed for Rangers.

I always remember to this day my dad telling me, when his move back to celtic fell through, that he would sign for Rangers. Despite being so young I had enough sense to think my dad was just drunk again talking shite. Clever guy my dad tbh.

What a player he was.

[Inigo 32,526]

1 minute ago, Willis said:

Was too young to remember him as a player but my Dad used to tell me about how he lived abroad when MJ signed and my granda called to give him the news thinking my dad would be upset, but my dad said "why would I be upset? Were 1-0 up and the season hasn't even begun"

To me it seems the way the media talk about Johnston's signing it's as though Rangers fans were just as angry about it as the taigs and still are, when I reality I don't think I've ever met a bear who's still angry that we signed Johnston and most see it as one of the biggest GIRUY's we've ever given them

There were a few angry. Hardly any though. I saw the news in The Sun when I was on holiday in Ciutadella. My dad and I didn't believe it at first. After that, the first overriding feeling was that it was a top class signing that would help us dominate the league. Was all that mattered to most. That and making sellic look like amateurs.

[ZZed 4,510]

I remember the scum talking about Johnston coming back to win the league, he did just not with them. They were spewing  for the whole season and every game we played against them with him in the team. Their rage and tears made me happy going to work.

[Inigo 32,526]

Squad stayed in tact. Johnston and Trevor Steven signed to improve it. Tims blown oot the watter before a baw was kicked.

And that was how it went for a good 10 years. The good old days.

[AlbertzLoyalRSC 18,070]

3 minutes ago, Inigo said:

Squad stayed in tact. Johnston and Trevor Steven signed to improve it. Tims blown oot the watter before a baw was kicked.

And that was how it went for a good 10 years. The good old days.

Can't remember it myself, but it was the start of me growing up with us having total dominance for a decade.

[Canabear 4,558]

Listening to the superscoreboard podcast about the 'old firm" through the years and the one with Ian Durrant and Peter Grant they talk about when Maurice Johnston signed for us and the hatred oozes from Grant as he talks about the day he found out after Johnston telling him he was going back to them.

Alfie Conn was a fantastic Rangers player and a hero of mine back in the day and when he signed for them i'll admit to being devastated at the time then one day i went into work and was talking to a celtic supporter whose old man was the president of the celtic supporters assoc. at the time and he told me a story that was doing the rounds at the bheastdome about Billy McNeil calling Conn into his office and chastising him about not trying in training and if he didn't pick up his effort he'd be getting dropped to which Alfie Conn retorted " It wasn't an issue when i ran past you in the 73 Cup Final to score".

Apparently McNeil exploded and I don't think Alfie Conn lasted to much longer there.

I bear no more animosity towards Alfie Conn because he played for them than i do Kenny Miller or Maurice Johnston.

[Fred H Crawford 1,182]

6 minutes ago, Inigo said:

There were a few angry. Hardly any though. I saw the news in The Sun when I was on holiday in Ciutadella. My dad and I didn't believe it at first. After that, the first overriding feeling was that it was a top class signing that would help us dominate the league. Was all that mattered to most. That and making sellic look like amateurs.

I think our supporters club only dropped about 3 or 4 from a membership of about 70 ( we were running 2 buses to home games at that time , sure we had 3 at the cup final that year ) so I would agree that most match going supporters while possibly having some regrets , viewed Mo's signing in the way you described . I remember the testimonial at Airdrie when there was talk of a few guys having a bit of a protest , but I'm sure the media present that day got nowhere near the reaction they both wanted and expected . 

As you say , signing Trevor Steven and Mo took the squad up another notch , and totally deflated any feelgood factor that celtic were hoping to carry over from the cup final .

[.Williamson. 82,178]

Without him the myth that we didn’t sign catholic’s may not have come to an end

[beararse 6,375]

7 hours ago, plumbGER said:

I was only 8 or 9 when he signed for Rangers.

I always remember to this day my dad telling me, when his move back to celtic fell through, that he would sign for Rangers. Despite being so young I had enough sense to think my dad was just drunk again talking shite. Clever guy my dad tbh.

What a player he was.

I can remember the exact moment I found out like it was yesterday.

I was browsing the shelves  in a video rental store and I overheard the shop assistant, who had the teletext on the TV say ‘fuckin’ hell, Rangers have signed Mo Johnston’.

Him and I then stood watching and waiting on Teletext scrolling back to the page :) 

[roboscot 1,176]

I was on a school trip to France, we were just at he end of 1st Yr so all about 13.

It came on the news, in French, in the wee cafe next door to our hotel, everybody rushed to the payphone to call home to confirm we'd heard it right!

I remember a few reports of people burning season books and saying they'd never go back.  MoJo was the ultimate "tim-you-love-to-hate", he always gave it the full blessing himself when he scored against us and all that. But that just made it all the sweeter when he scored against them, they never got over it.

The OF on Nov 4th 1989 was a game I should never have been at.  I had got absolutely pissed drunk at a party the night before, got caught by my old boy (I was 13 remember) and if he hadn't took me to the game he would've had to report back to my Ma who would have gone totally fkn apeshit (cheers Da, RIP). 

 

[King Jela 20,361]

7 hours ago, Fred H Crawford said:

I think our supporters club only dropped about 3 or 4 from a membership of about 70 ( we were running 2 buses to home games at that time , sure we had 3 at the cup final that year ) so I would agree that most match going supporters while possibly having some regrets , viewed Mo's signing in the way you described . I remember the testimonial at Airdrie when there was talk of a few guys having a bit of a protest , but I'm sure the media present that day got nowhere near the reaction they both wanted and expected . 

As you say , signing Trevor Steven and Mo took the squad up another notch , and totally deflated any feelgood factor that celtic were hoping to carry over from the cup final .

How many game were you running pre-covid? 

Purely out of curiosity. 

[LegendofCoop 17,273]

Apart from my first old firm game at Ibrox in '86, when wee Durrant slotted home for the winner, Mojo's first v them is the best OF goal I've celebrated.

Or was it Gough's in the 2-2 game???

Ach well, loved the wee guy! :D 

[Tom0411 1,226]

I was in Canada when he signed visiting my bro in law and on the Monday we were chatting about the talk of us signing ROI international Paul McGrath (??). On the day Mo signed we were downtown and my bro in laws wife answered a call from my bro to tell us. She knowing nothing about football asked him if it was the catholic guy as we had been chatting about on him on Monday night. Cue bro hanging up and wondering how the hell us in Canada knew about him signing on the Monday.

[Robmc1 4,741]

6 hours ago, .Williamson. said:

Without him the myth that we didn’t sign catholic’s may not have come to an end

The only people who I know that were bitter and upset about this signing (and to this day still very much are) are all celtic fans. Johnston was a great signing for us and he looked genuinely happy every he put the ball in the back of the net for (which incidentally was frequently). 

[STEPPS BOY 73,890]

He was a cracking player.

 

My Old man never went back once he signed 

[glasgow argyle 1,093]

When the rumours circulated of him being inside Ibrox to sign,  I was working with a huge septic fan, he couldn't believe it, he drove us to Ibrox to find out if it was true. When the signing was confirmed he was devastated.  When he scored the late winner against the taigs,  I was in the Copeland front,  and the celebrations were among the best I experienced,  a terrific signing and the fact that the Tim's were crestfallen made it all the sweeter. 

 

[simplythebest 11,453]

Before my time but just love the seethe he still generates in them to this day 

[McEwan's Lager 30,522]

Even though I was too young to really remember him playing for us he’s one of my favourite Rangers players from watching old videos.

His partnership with McCoist I think is really underrated, both were excellent footballers not just goal scorers.

 

[McEwan's Lager 30,522]

41 minutes ago, STEPPS BOY said:

He was a cracking player.

 

My Old man never went back once he signed 

My Dad said that if his old man hadn’t died the year before then his signing would have killed him 😂