Graham Roberts (1986 to 1988)
An early Christmas present for the Rangers support, ‘Robbo’ signed for the Club on 22nd December 1986 for a fee of £450,000 after Tottenham Hotspur reluctantly agreed to sell their want away defender. It was a welcome boost with Rangers about to embark on home fixtures against the two sides sitting immediately above us in the league table, Dundee United and Celtic. Trailing Celtic by 6 points (2 points for a win in those days), albeit Gers with a game in hand, there was a feeling that we needed to emerge from those games with maximum points.
The 27 year old was thrown straight in for his debut in a 2-0 win over Dundee United on this day 36 years ago and if anyone was unsure what they were in for, the opening goal of that game was a classic example of what Roberts brought to the side. Surrounded by United defenders, his sheer desire and power saw him burst through from his own half before launching a ferocious tackle on Goalkeeper Billy Thompson in the penalty box! The ball fell to McCoist who had the simplest task of rolling the ball into an empty goal. It was a vital breakthrough and when Robert Fleck added a second the points were secure. With Celtic unexpectedly being held to a 1-1 draw with Clydebank, the New Year’s Day clash with Celtic was now a great opportunity to blow the title race wide open. A Graeme Souness masterclass inspired Rangers to another 2-0 win with Fleck and McCoist again on the scoresheet. The re-arranged match at Fir Park on 6th January 1987 saw Roberts face his first away match for Rangers and it was Graham who secured the win when his 30 plus yard drive settled the match (unfortunately the TV cameras were not in attendance)! It had been a great start to his Gers career, 3 wins, 6 points, his first Rangers goal and no goals conceded!
Although the arrival of Souness, Butcher and Woods in the summer of 1986 had helped transform the side and bring out the best of the talent already at Ibrox, the signing of Graham Roberts felt like the final piece of the jigsaw in that 1986/87 title winning success. An experienced player, he had been capped by England and had won the FA Cup and UEFA Cup with Spurs and, importantly, had the reputation of being a real winner.
Althought not the tallest, Roberts was absolutely solid and liked nothing more than a physical battle. He was versatile too, slotting in at right full-back or at central defence he could also perform a role in midfield where his ball winning abilities were a clear asset in the rough and tumble of Scottish Football. Graeme Souness had described Roberts as being harder than himself in his own autobiography which was an indication of what Graham could add. He had literally put Charlie Nicholas in the stand with a trademark tackle during a North London derby at the start of 1986 and so, it is fair to say, he already had the Gers support firmly on side!
The back 5 of Woods, Roberts, McPherson, Butcher and Munro would provide a solid foundation for the remainder of the season. Rangers would enjoy 12 clean sheets in the 19 games Roberts played. It was not all plane sailing, a ridiculous red card decision against Hamilton was followed up by a shock defeat to the same side in the Scottish Cup but this was one of only two defeats he would suffer as Rangers clinched the league championship at Pittodrie for the first time in 9 agonising years. The English connection of ‘MacButcher’, ‘MacWoods’ and ‘MacRoberts’ celebrated with their custom made t-shirts as the trophy was presented on the final day of the season.
Already a fans favourite after just 5 months at Ibrox, season 1987/88 promised so much put proved to be a traumatic one for Rangers and Roberts in particular. Away defeats to Aberdeen and Celtic in the early weeks of the league campaign were clearly a disappointment although Rangers did eliminate Dynamo Kiev from the European Cup (Roberts missed the return leg). An Old Firm match at Ibrox on 17th October 1987 would turn out to be a game never to be forgotten and Graham was at the centre of events. An altercation between Chris Woods and Celtic’s McAvennie saw both Terry Butcher and Roberts come to the aid of their team mate. The result was a red card for both Woods and McAvennie with all 4 players later subject to Police charges in respect of their alleged conduct. In the absence of a substitute goalkeeper in those days, Roberts was the man to put on the gloves in the heat of the battle. He would be forced to pick the ball out of his net twice but incredibly Rangers would secure a last gasp equaliser despite having by then been reduced to just 9 men. A draw never felt more like a Rangers victory and Roberts lapped up the final seconds conducting the Gers support from his goal.
The dismissal of Terry Butcher in the above game saw him suspended for the 1987 League Cup Final and Roberts was captain for the Hampden clash with Aberdeen. It was an epic final which Rangers eventually won on penalties but with just minutes remaining Aberdeen were leading 3-2. A high, hopeful lob into the box by Jimmy Nicholl saw Roberts win a crunching header which allowed Fleck to equalise. It was another example of the sheer will to win that Roberts brought to the side.
With former Spurs team mate Richard Gough having now joined him at Ibrox, a leg break sustained by Butcher resulted in Roberts and Gough forming a central defensive partnership for the remainder of the 1987/88 campaign. That league cup win would prove to be the highlight as Rangers crashed out of the Scottish Cup at Dunfermline and lost to an excellent Steaua Bucharest side in the quarter final of the European Cup. Rangers were caught cold at the start of the European 2nd leg at Ibrox and Roberts lack of pace was perhaps a factor as we conceded an early ‘away’ goal which effectively killed off our hopes of progressing. Captaining the side in the continued absence of Butcher, Roberts scored in a 3-2 win at Dens Park in March 1988 but by then the league title challenge had all but evaporated.
A league defeat to Aberdeen on 30th April 1988 was not crucial in terms of the destiny of the championship but it was significant for Roberts as it brought an abrupt end to his Rangers career. A dressing room debrief at full time resulted in Roberts publicly challenging the authority of manager Graeme Souness and there would be no way back. Although the Gers supporters appeared to back the player, defiantly chanting his name during the last game of the season at Brockville, there was only ever going to be one winner. By the start of the following season Roberts had returned South to Chelsea having suffered the indignity of being forced to sit on the bench as an unused substitute for the Reserves at a number of rather obscure venues!
The return of Butcher from injury and the signing of Gary Stevens in time for the start of season 1988/89 meant that the ‘noise’ surrounding the controversial departure of Roberts quickly subsided. Rangers got their money back and embarked on a run that would culminate in NIAR so perhaps Souness knew what was best after all.
Graham remains a popular figure amongst the Rangers support.
by Rick Plews
