Despite being strongly tipped to join Rangers in the summer of 1998 it was perhaps written in the stars that the man named Klos would finally arrive at Ibrox just in time for the Christmas period. The 27 year-old goalkeeper would join up with Dick Advocaat’s league leaders on Christmas Eve for a fee reported to be in the region of £750,000.
Stefan had built his reputation with Borussia Dortmund where he had been part of a hugely successful side. In addition to winning the Bundesliga twice, Klos had been part of the side which would become ‘Kings of Europe’ in season 1996/97 as a Juventus side (including Sergio Porrini) were beaten 3-1 in Munich. It was revenge for the UEFA Cup Final mauling he had suffered at the hands of the Italians in season 1992/93 as Rangers went agonisingly close to making the final of the Champions League. He also had some experience of his new Club with Dortmund and Rangers having been drawn in the same Champions League Group during season 1995/96, both matches ending 2-2.
With Andy Goram set to leave Ibrox in the summer of 1998, incoming manager Advocaat had identified Klos as the man to replace ‘The Goalie’. A contract offer which would make Stefan one of the highest earners at Ibrox was enough to convince the German to leave his homeland but the transfer to Glasgow was anything but straight forward. A court battle between Klos and Dortmund ensued and only when it became clear that the German side would not be in a position to retain the services when his contract ended in the summer of 1999 was the deal finally forced through.
By the time Stefan arrived at Ibrox, Rangers had also secured the services of French World Cup winner Lionel Charbonnier. The eccentric Frenchman started slowly but had gradually become a fans favourite before sustaining a serious knee injury in the UEFA Cup tie with Bayer Leverkusen. Finnish Internationalist Antti Niemi had been occupying the ‘No 1’ position since Charbonnier’s misfortune but it remained clear that ‘The Little General’ was determined to get his man.
On 26th December 1998, Stefan Klos would make the first of 297 Rangers appearances during which time he would win 4 League Championship, 3 Scottish Cup and 2 League Cup winners medals. Following the departure of Barry Ferguson and Craig Moore, Stefan would also have a spell as Captain of Rangers. He enjoyed a win and clean sheet on his debut, a 1-0 win over St.Johnstone at Ibrox. He can be thankful of Colin Hendry’s efforts that day, the central defender preventing a certain goal by handling on the goal line (his actions would earn a straight red with Saints missing the resultant penalty). Stefan would enjoy 11 clean sheets in 23 appearances during his first season at Ibrox. Significantly, two of those came in Old Firm games at the ‘business end’ of the campaign arrived. The league championship was secured on 2nd May 1999 at Parkhead with the Scottish Cup not too far behind.
Standing at 6ft tall, Stefan was not the tallest goalkeeper ever to play for Rangers but he was an excellent shot stopper who excelled at one-on-one situations when facing oncoming opposition strikers. Klos had an uncanny ability to stand up and fill the goal right until the last second, thus out manoeuvring the centre forward. He would organise his defence to provide protection at crosses given that he was not one to come too far off his line. The greatest compliment you could pay Stefan was that by the end of season 1998/99, the absence of Goram from a Rangers starting line up was no longer a concern. As a result, he would soon be known as ‘Der Goalie’.
Stefan started season 1999/00 as Rangers No 1 despite the return to fitness of Charbonnier. Injury would disrupt the first half of the season, he would play in the win over Parma at Ibrox but miss out on the return leg. With his problems behind him he would be back between the posts following the Winter break and would become almost a permanent fixture. Once again, the Championship and Scottish Cup would be secured but it would prove to be the last silverware under Advocaat. The next two seasons under the Dutchman would be extremely disappointing but the performances of Klos would remain as consistent as ever.
The arrival of Alex McLeish as manager was never going to put the position of Klos under jeopardy and gradually the good times began to return. An Old Firm semi-final League Cup win over Celtic resulted in the opportunity for Stefan to complete his domestic set of medals. There would be no mistake as Ayr United were comfortably defeated 4-0 in the Final. His third Scottish Cup medal came on 4th May 2003 as Rangers defeated Celtic 3-2 in a classic match. The following season would be even better with all domestic trophies finding pride of place in the Ibrox Trophy Room. Celtic were again defeated in the League Cup but this time at the final stage. The Championship went right to the wire and Stefan kept Dundee at bay in the Scottish Cup Final to earn a 1-0 win.
Stefan had proved to be extremely durable, from the start of season 2000/01 he had played 200 games in 4 seasons. More importantly, he seemed to be getting better and better with each passing year and whilst he was very calm and composed by goalkeeper’s standards there was no doubt that he was a huge influence within a star studded dressing room and someone who would place huge demands on his team mates regardless of reputation.
Those attributes persuaded McLeish to turn to Klos when Craig Moore was stripped of the captaincy. The armband seemed to sit well with Stefan and his performances during the first half of season 2004/05 had been outstanding. On the rare occasions that games looked to be slipping away from us, Stefan was not averse to taking a stroll up to the opponents’ penalty box for a set piece. It was on one such occasion at Tannadice on 1st January 2005 that his presence caused enough panic in the Dundee United defence to allow Hamed Namouchi a last-minute equaliser. In a typically tight Championship contest, each point was absolutely crucial. Sadly, with the winter transfer window about to close Stefan suffered a training injury which would rule him out for the season. It was a massive blow to Rangers but a successful window and the capture of Ronald Waterreus would soften the blow as the title was secured in the most dramatic fashion.
Although Stefan remained at Ibrox for another two seasons, he failed to regain his place in the side making just 4 start and 1 substitute appearance. Clearly struggling particularly with his kicking post injury, he was used in emergency circumstances only. His final match came on 8th March 2007 as Rangers drew with Osasuna in the UEFA Cup.
Whilst it was not the ending that Stefan deserved, there is no doubting that Klos is right up there with any of the great Rangers keepers and this was rewarded when he was voted into the Hall of Fame. We have been fortunate to have Chris Woods, the late Andy Goram, Stefan Klos and Allan McGregor for the majority of the last 35 years, all of whom have been truly outstanding.
