The Greatest Ranger Ever?

Davie Meiklejohn - The Case for the Original Ibrox Legend

Jeff Holmes

• Publisher: Pitch Publishing
• eBook ISBN:
  9781785310171
• Year: 2014

Davie Meiklejohn had few equals in British football between the wars. According to his admiring contemporaries, he was "a tactical genius," "ahead of his time"—"the greatest ever Ranger." Fast-tracked by manager William Wilton, the former Maryhill junior was part of a title-winning side in his debut season. There would be many more championships to celebrate for this born leader, though Rangers' failure to lift the Scottish Cup for 25 long years became a music-hall joke—until May, 1928, when Meik led his team to a hoodoo-busting 4-0 rout of arch rivals Celtic. In 1931 the tragic on-field death of Celtic keeper John Thomson saw Meiklejohn at his dignified, inspirational best. He enjoyed international adventures, a post-playing career in journalism, and a twelve-year stint as manager of Patrick Thistle—yet at the height of his fame, Meik lived in a modest two-bedroom flat, no more than 100 yards from Ibrox.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Prologue
• Decision day for young Meik
• Tragic end to a glorious season
• The honeymoon is over
• Meik caps a great season
• Three out of four ain’t bad
• A new challenger emerges
• League champs, but ‘Scottish’ remains elusive
• An injury-ravaged campaign
• Meik survives horror bus crash
• Season has a silver lining
• The wait is finally over
• Gers go Stateside
• Wing king Alan is very much alive
• Four-midable Gers sweep the boards
• Gers stars’ brush with death
• Meik wins a tenth league medal
• Meik stunned by Thomson tragedy
• Mr Popular!
• Little continental action for Meik
• Clean sweep for the Light Blues
• Lucky 13 for skipper
• On tour with Scotland
• Old Firm battle for supremacy
• National pride
• Meik’s big anti-climax
• On the write track
• In the hotseat
• A tragic end
• Epilogue
• Career stats
• Photographs