John Brown (1988 to 1996)
John signed for his boyhood heroes in 1988 when manager Graeme Souness paid Dundee £350,000 to secure the services of the versatile 25 year old. It was money well spent but few would have predicted the contribution he would go on to make at Ibrox over almost two decades, initially as a player and later as a coach.
‘Bomber’ made his debut in a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle on 16th January 1988 but could just as easily have been lining up in maroon that day had the ‘Jam Tarts’ not pulled the plug on a deal late in the day due to concerns over an ongoing knee problem. If there were any lingering doubts over John’s fitness his mental strength and determination were always likely to overcome any minor difficulties.
Durability was certainly not a problem during his Rangers career, he would appear in all but the last of our sequence of nine successive league championships having frustratingly suffered a barren debut partial season. In addition to those successful league title campaigns, John would feature in 3 League Cup and 3 Scottish Cup winning sides.
A fiery red head, John was certainly not one to take prisoners but his ‘hard man’ image possibly meant that he did not receive the plaudits he deserved in terms of his playing ability. He could could play almost any position on the left hand side or centrally. His distribution was very good, he could certainly beat a player and provide a decent delivery when operating as a full-back and throughout his career he had proved he could score goals from anywhere (as Rangers often found out to their cost).
The treble winning season of 1992/93 was John’s greatest season at Ibrox when he formed an excellent central defensive partnership with Richard Gough. Whether up against Cantona, Boksic or Voller during our extended European run, John took it all in his stride.
The 1990/91 league title decider with Aberdeen probably best portrays John and what the Club means to him. With the squad decimated by injury, John started the game knowing full well that he would not finish it due to an ongoing Achilles problem. As anticipated, this finally snapped during the game and John was stretched from the pitch in agony leaving the ground on crutches. Crucially by then, Rangers were well on the way to winning the match and securing ‘3 in a row’. It was a classic example of John going the ‘extra mile’ for Rangers to his own detriment.
John would call it a day at the end of season 1995/96 going out at the very top following an emphatic Scottish Cup Final win over Hearts at Hampden. He would continue to coach and play for the Reserves and youth team for the next decade and after a period of absence later returned and continues to undertake various scouting roles. His long service was rewarded with a much deserved Testimonial once his playing career was over.
In all, John made 278 appearances for Rangers scoring 18 goals including his favourite at Parkhead when he rifled home in front of the Rangers support during the New Year fixture of 1992.
The stuff of dreams.
by Rick Plews
