Andy Penman (1967 to 1973)
Andy Penman joined Rangers on 4 April 1967 in a £30,000 deal that saw George “Dandy” McLean move in the opposite direction to Dens Park, Dundee.
At just 24 years of age, Andy had already scored the goal that clinched a League Championship for the Dark Blues in 1962, during a vintage period for the Tayside club. A full Scotland international, he had also featured in a European Cup semi-final and a Scottish Cup final—ironically lost to Rangers—by the time he arrived at Ibrox.
A truly outstanding talent as a teenager, Andy moved to Merseyside from schools’ football in Dunfermline and, at the age of 15, played for Everton Reserves in a derby clash with Liverpool. However, homesickness proved a decisive factor, and former Gers striker Willie Thornton, then manager of Dundee, persuaded Andy to return to Scotland by the end of 1958.
Signed by Scot Symon, Andy would also play under David White, Willie Waddell and Jock Wallace during his time at the club. Unfortunately, his Rangers career coincided with a period in which the team struggled to overhaul a dominant Celtic side. It seemed unthinkable that he would fail to add to his medal collection after swapping Dundee for Rangers, but that was ultimately how events unfolded.
Penman was undoubtedly a player of real class: a cultured midfielder with excellent vision and the ability to spot an incisive forward pass. He was also a proven goal scorer and excelled at dead-ball situations, earning the nickname “The Penalty King” during his time at Dundee. Sadly, that expertise deserted him in the first leg of the 1968/69 Fairs Cities Cup semi-final, when Newcastle’s McFaul saved his spot kick to secure a 0–0 draw at Ibrox. It was perhaps typical of Andy’s misfortune at Rangers, a period during which he was eventually diagnosed with diabetes.
In total, Andy made 150 first-team appearances for Rangers, scoring a highly creditable 49 goals.
Sadly, Andy was another taken from us far too soon, passing away in 1994 at the age of just 51.
by Rick Plews
