Scott Nisbet (1985 to 1993)
On March 17th 1993, 42,371 fans witnessed arguably the most bizarre goal ever scored by Rangers in all our years competing in European competition. With just 20 minutes remaining of the Matchday 4 Champions League Group A tie with FC Brugge, Scott Nisbet lashed the ball with his right foot in what could be described as a cross-cum-shot-cum-tackle-cum-clearance! The ball struck the foot of the challenging Brugge defender, spun up in the air before bouncing awkwardly on the six yard line and looping up over the head of the embarrassed goalkeeper. It was a truly incredible moment and earned Rangers a vital victory as a place in the final remained a strong possibility.
If ever someone was going to score a goal of this nature, big “Nissy” would have been high up the list of likely candidates. A cult hero to the Gers support, Scott gave 100% each time he pulled on the famous blue jersey but always played the game with a smile on his face, never seeming to take himself too seriously! Sadly, not only did this prove to be his final goal for the Club, it was also his last ever appearance at Ibrox. This must have been a million miles away from his thoughts as he famously ran towards the Rangers dug-out to celebrate his ‘wonder’ goal.
Scott had joined Rangers as a youngster towards the end of season 1984/85, one of many players to make the grade from Edinburgh’s Salvesen Boys Club. In those early days, he showed promise leading the line as a centre forward and indeed scored a hat-trick on 1st December 1985 (still aged 17) as Rangers defeated Valetta 7-0 in Malta during a mid-season friendly. He clearly did enough to impress manager Jock Wallace who handed him a competitive first team debut the following Saturday during a 1-0 win over Motherwell at Ibrox. He would retain his place in the forward line for the next 3 league fixtures but failed to find the net as Rangers drew twice before losing to Scotland’s in form side of the time, Hearts.
A leg break suffered by Terry Butcher in November 1987 propelled Nisbet into action under manager Graeme Souness. Things could not have been more different from his previous aforementioned spell in the first team, Scott was now operating in the back four and his team mates included Graham Roberts, Chris Woods, Trevor Francis, Ray Wilkins and Richard Gough to name but a few. The absence of Butcher saw Gough and Roberts form a central pairing with Nisbet coming in at right full-back. It is fair to say that this was not his favoured position but he performed well despite results tailing off as the season progressed. From coming into the side on 21st November he was almost an ever present until the end of season 1987/88. That run included both legs of the QF tie with Steaua Bucharest in the European Champions’ Cup.
Those 1st team performances resulted in a big money bid from Tottenham Hotspur at the start of season 1988/89. With Butcher now fit again and clearly an automatic choice to partner Gough in the heart of the Rangers defence, it was obvious Nisbet would struggle to hold down a regular place. Despite Graham Roberts having been moved on, the arrival of Gary Stevens did little for Nisbet’s prospects of remaining at full-back. Spurs manager Terry Venables may well have convinced the 20 year old to try his luck in London but Souness made it clear the versatile Nisbet was not for sale.
His first goals came that season following a brief striker injury crisis in the month of September. He scored against Hearts in two separate matches in the space of 4 days as Rangers earned victories in both the League and semi-final of the League Cup.
There was no doubt that Scott was far more comfortable in the central defensive position and he enjoyed extended runs in the Championship winning sides of 1990/91 and 1991/92 whilst occupying that role. For many, his best performances came at the start of season 1991/92 where he played in the opening 18 league matches, scoring 4 goals in the process. His “Chris Eubank” style goal celebration at one stage was becoming a regular occurrence. Injury sadly curtailed the remainder of his season and he would struggle to regain a sustained period of full fitness.
1992/93 will forever be remembered by all Rangers fans but for Nisbet it ended prematurely just days after that iconic goal versus Brugge. With massive games coming thick and fast, Nisbet (typically) played through the pain barrier in order to face Celtic at Parkhead despite suffering with an ongoing groin problem. He failed to last the 90 minutes and the issue developed into a pelvic injury from which he would never manage to recover. Despite his best efforts, Scott was sadly forced to retire at the tender age of 25 having amassed 118 first team appearances and scoring 9 goals.
A Rangers International Select side faced the 1994/95 Gers side in a Testimonial Match arranged for Scott on May 1st 1995. It was a chance for Ibrox support to show their admiration for a player who always gave everything and more for the Club.
by Rick Plews
