Ian McCall (1987 to 1990)
There are not too many young players who are handed their debut in the red hot cauldron of an Old Firm fixture but that was exactly the case for 22 year old Ian McCall back in August 1987.
A skilful left-sided midfielder, Ian had played against Rangers that midweek as Dunfermline Athletic were defeated in the (Skol) League Cup. It was McCall who found the net for the Pars in a 4-1 reversal. Within 48 hours, he was on his way to Ibrox to sign for the Scottish Champions in a deal worth £200,000. That very next day, he would feature as a substitute at Parkhead (replacing the great Davie Cooper) as our indifferent start to the season continued.
Quizzed on whether McCall was signed on the back of his performance against Rangers, manager Souness stated “he is one we had our eyes on for a while…..the fact he played against us immediately before we signed him was incidental. I feel sure he will become an exciting player for Rangers over the years”. The now ‘cup tied’ McCall would soon have to watch from the sidelines as Rangers retained the League Cup following an epic encounter with Aberdeen.
Ian had started out as a youngster at Motherwell but quickly decided the professional scene was not for him. Instead, he played football socially to rekindle his love for the game before eventually being persuaded to join Queen’s Park. Although thoroughly enjoying life at Hampden (including amateur status), McCall’s ambition to play at the top level was now resurfacing and he would agree to join Dunfermline Athletic. After a fairly average first season at East End Park, it was somewhat of a surprise when Souness swooped to sign.
McCall would feature frequently during his first few months at Ibrox and did not have to wait long to score his first goal (predictably coming against ex-side Dunfermline in a 4-0 win on 12th September 1987). Appearances were drying up by the turn of the year by which time a trio of fresh left sided signings (Brown, Bartram and Walters) had been made. These additions certainly provided Souness with far greater selection options on that side of the pitch.
In truth, McCall never kicked on and would feature sporadically over the next two seasons. His single most memorable moment came in December 1988 when he grabbed the headlines by scoring the only goal of the game in a crucial win over Hibernian at Ibrox. It was a tremendous finish that gave Hibs keeper Andy Goram no chance and was certainly a reminder of the talent he possessed. Sadly, those flashes of brilliance were few and far between in a Rangers shirt.
McCall’s commitment to training and off field discipline were under scrutiny and he would leave the Club in 1990 having made 24 first team appearances.
An experienced manager, Ian was latterly back in charge of Partick Thistle but was controversially sacked in February 2023 just hours after his side had run Rangers close in a Scottish Cup tie at Ibrox.
by Rick Plews
