Chris Woods (1986 to 1991)
When manager Graeme Souness convinced Chris Woods to join Rangers in June 1986 for a fee of £600,000, the England International became not only the most expensive signing ever made by the Club (albeit briefly) but also the record British fee for a goalkeeper. Intent on laying the defensive foundations of his new look Rangers side, Souness quickly had the spine of the team in place when Woods and fellow England colleague Terry Butcher arrived for a combined outlay of £1.325m. Adversaries of Souness in England’s old First Division, Graeme had seen at first hand exactly what they could bring to the Club.
Chris had a real presence about him, very athletic and at 6’2” probably the perfect physique for a top goalkeeper. He had started his senior career with Nottingham Forest at a time when they were vying with a Souness/Dalglish inspired Liverpool side for the major honours both at home and abroad. Understudy to Peter Shilton at Forest, Woods was given his first big opportunity during season 1977/78 due to Shilton being cup tied in the League Cup competition. He didn’t disappoint and by the age of 18 had secured his first major honour keeping a clean sheet in a single goal victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford. In May 1979 he was an unused substitute as Forest become Kings of Europe defeating Malmo 1-0 in Munich, future Rangers team mate Trevor Francis scoring the only goal of the game against a Swedish side that contained a young Robert Prytz. Shortly afterwards, Chris signed for Queens Park Rangers where he became their Number 1 for the next two seasons. His next move was to Norwich City in time for the start of season 1980/81. It was during his time at Norwich that Chris first represented England, earning 4 full caps at Carrow Road whilst still again very much an understudy to Peter Shilton. A second League Cup arrived in 1985 as Norwich defeated Sunderland but the season would end in disappointment as his sided were relegated from the top flight and banned from taking their place in the 1985/86 UEFA Cup following the sickening scenes at Heysel. Woods remained loyal and helped the Canaries win the Second Division title at the first time of asking and despite playing in England’s second tier Bobby Robson selected Chris for the 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico.
Fresh from his experiences in Mexico, Woods made his competitive debut for Rangers in the explosive opening day clash at Easter Road in which Souness was sent off. Woods immediately showed his commitment towards his new manager and team mates when, resplendent in red, he raced to the half way line to intervene as a melee ensued! It was a real baptism of fire for the likeable Englishman who was booked for his trouble. By the time he had kept a clean sheet in his first Old Firm encounter in August 1986 the Rangers support were already convinced that in Woods they had the ‘real deal’. An outstanding shot stopper who commanded his box with authority, it was evident why Souness had been so keen to bring him North. His first trophy success came in his second clash against Celtic, the 2-1 League Cup Final win at Hampden on October 26th. After an indifferent start to the season, Rangers were now starting to find their rhythm. Whilst frustrated to lose a vital ‘away goal’ to Uwe Rahn of Borussia Moenchengladbach on November 26th, it would mark the beginning of an incredible run for Woods in which he would not concede another goal until 31st January 1987, an astonishing 1196 consecutive minutes of play and another British record. The goal that ended the sequence would famously eliminate Rangers from the Scottish Cup but we would recover to secure our first league title in 9 long and agonising years. Having played 54 out of a possible 56 competitive matches and recorded 29 clean sheets along the way, Woods had already repaid the hefty transfer fee.
Woods started season 1987/88 in fine form but would find himself embroiled in controversy when he was red carded for an altercation with Celtic’s Frank McAvennie in a league clash at Ibrox on 17th October 1987. Woods, clearly upset at a second late challenge by the Celtic striker in the opening exchanges, reacted angrily and both players were dismissed in a clash also involving Terry Butcher and Graham Roberts as the referee appeared to lose control. Keen to make an example out of the players in this high profile game, Police involvement would see all 4 players charged with Woods remarkably being found guilty of a breach of the peace. His dismissal forced him to miss the League Cup Final the following weekend as Nicky Walker returned to play in the epic victory over Aberdeen. His next Old Firm clash would prove to be just as disappointing, this time forced to leave the field of play after sustaining a nasty rib injury which would see him miss the next 4 league matches. It would prove to be a trophyless second season as the league title slipped away and there was another shock defeat in the Scottish Cup, this time at Dunfermline. A credible Quarter Final place in the European Cup was achieved but it was a case of a missed opportunity against Steaua Bucharest. The unofficial ‘British Championship’ was the only consolation of a frustrating season for Rangers and Woods.
Normal service was resumed by the start of season 1988/89 as Rangers would set off an a run that would culminate in NIAR. The campaign started well for Chris and he would earn his second Scottish League Cup Winners medal in a 3-2 win over Aberdeen, consolation for having missed the final 12m previously. However, after suffering defeat in the Old Firm clash of November 1988 he, would then be floored by illness. The eventual diagnosis was Labyrinthitis which resulted in his vision and balance being severely impaired. He would be out of first team action until the middle of February but was firmly back in place as the title was secured in a 4-0 win over St.Mirren on 22nd April 1989. A Scottish Cup winners medal would elude him as Rangers fell at the final hurdle in their quest for a first Treble under manager Souness.
With all eyes on new signing Maurice Johnston for the opening match of season 1990/91, it was Woods who grabbed the attention when he was forced off with a dislocated shoulder following an awkward challenge from St.Mirren striker (and future Gers assistant), Kenny McDowall. Having fought back from illness it was a blow to Woods who would be absent for 8 early season matches whilst trying to fully recover. However, from Matchday 9 onwards he would be an ever present in the league thus going on to secure his 3rd Championship in 4 seasons.
Chris would attend his second World Cup with England in 1990 but continued to play second fiddle to Peter Shilton who, by now, was finally coming to the end of his international career. In all, Woods would make 43 appearances for England and enjoyed a clean sheet in 26 of those games. He won more caps whilst at Rangers than at any other Club.
Season 1990/91 saw Chris put his injury and illness problems firmly behind him, he was an ever present in 36 league games, 3 Scottish Cup ties, 5 league cup ties and 4 in European Cup competition. He had the opportunity to score his first goal when he famously missed a penalty kick during a 6-0 European Cup tie against Valletta at Ibrox. That disappointment was long gone when he secured his third league cup winners medal later the same month as Celtic were again defeated 2-1 at Hampden. It took until the final match of season 1990/91 to secure his fourth league championship although few would have predicted that his clean sheet versus Aberdeen that day would be his final act as a Ranger. The introduction of the 3 foreigner rule had persuaded new manager Walter Smith to turn to Andy Goram for the start of season 1991/92.
Chris reluctantly returned to England to once again team up with Trevor Francis, this time at Sheffield Wednesday. He helped them secure a UEFA cup spot and finally got his opportunity at a major tournament when he played in all of England’s 1992 European Championship matches in Sweden.
Currently goalkeeping coach with the Scotland national team, Woods held a similar position with USA having commenced his coaching career with Walter Smith’s Everton.
Rangers seem to have had a conveyor belt of top goalkeepers over the last 35 years and there is no doubt that Chris is right up there with the very best of them.
by Rick Plews
