As most football fans will know, Scotland's biggest city is divided into two camps: one favors Celtic, the other favors Rangers. I'm sure fiercer footballing rivalries exist, but there can't be many. Because whereas most rivalries at least confine themselves to football, in Glasgow there's an added dimension of sectarianism to the mutual envy and hatred. Celtic, founded for and by Irish immigrants, is the team of Catholic Glasgow, and Rangers that of the Protestants. The ferociousness of the rivalry meant a player switching between the two clubs was completely unthinkable.
Yet switching was exactly what Maurice "Mo" Johnston -indirectly- did in the summer of 1989. The forward had played for Celtic for three seasons, between 1984 and 1987, scoring 52 goals in 99 games. Johnston had won the cup with the Catholic club in 1985 and had added the league title a season later. When the Scottish international decided to return to Scotland after a stint playing in France, Celtic was the most obvious destination. The fact that he signed for Rangers instead, came as a bolt from the blue.
What probably stung Celtic fans the most was that Johnston was snapped up from right under Celtic's nose. The striker had indicated in an interview a year earlier that Celtic would be the only option when returning to Scotland. So when he was done in France after two slightly disappointing years at Nantes, and Celtic made their interest known, player and club quickly reached a verbal agreement. While Scottish newspapers were already reporting on Celtic's big summer purchase, it seemed like only the formalities were left to be completed. Rangers had different plans however.
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| Mo Johnston on the ball for Celtic during the 1985 cup final |
Protestant Glasgow's club had won the league that season, but the goals hadn't exactly been flowing free and easily. A forward with a proven track-record of being able to score goals in the Scottish premier league would be a welcome addition. Whereas Celtic were struggling to come up with the transfer fee Nantes were looking to collect for Johnston, Rangers had money to burn and acquiesced to the French demands without batting an eye.
“Look, at the end of the day Celtic didn’t have the money for it,” Johnston would recall later. “That is the bottom line. There was a transfer fee, everything else that was involved, I hadn’t signed and then all of a sudden Rangers came in. If I had signed a contract, I would have been with Celtic. That would have been it.”
It's no exaggeration to claim that the surprise deal instantly turned Johnston into the most hated man in Glasgow. Not only was he branded a Judas by Celtic-fans because of his betrayal, but he was hardly welcomed with open arms by fans of his new club. Because although it is obviously fun to one up your biggest rival on the transfer market, Johnston was a Catholic. No Catholic had played for Rangers since the Great War and a portion of the club's fans had no desire to see that change. Scarves were reportedly burned and season tickets canceled.
As if Johnston's transfer wasn't dramatic enough in itself, it looked for a while like it might turn out to be a flop as well. Rangers lost the opening two games of the season, with Johnston unable to find the net. Because Celtic had no trouble winning their first games, Rangers immediately found themselves trailing their big rival by four points. It seemed like Celtic fans might be having the last laugh after all.
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| Johnston in action for Rangers against his old club Celtic |
That Johnston was even starting to have doubts himself became clear when Rangers were awarded a penalty kick in their first cup-match of the season. His striking partner Ally McCoist urged Johnston to take it. Johnston: “Coisty was like ‘go hit it’, and I was saying ‘nah’. Everybody was looking at me as if to say ‘do you not want to score?’ I’d come close a few times but I was beginning to wonder myself if I ever would.”
In his fourth league game of the season, against Aberdeen, Johnston was finally able to notch up his first goal. It tasted all the sweeter for being the winning goal and earning Rangers their first league win. From that moment on Johston would regularly contribute to Rangers' goal tally. If any fans still harbored lingering doubts, they will have been taken away in November, when Johnston scored a late winner against Celtic. In the end, Johnston would stay with Rangers for two season, winning the league in both.
And the Celtic fans? They would never forgive Johnston. Especially not after a Scottish tabloid caught him singing along to Rangers songs during a night organized by a Rangers supporters club. Even after thirty years Johnston is still not welcome during Celtic reunions, even of the team he won the league with.
Source: Both quotes from The Scotsman, 16 april 2016