The great Rangers Catholic Player debate.

Last updated : 13 April 2007 By Clydebuilt
It would appear that in their latest attempt at rewriting history, our perpetually dark friends from the South Side of Glasgow are continuing to dispel their clubs 135 years of unsurpassed bigotry as an urban myth.

There belief is that Mo Johnstone was not the first Catholic to sign for Rangers (a fact we all knew anyway! Why go to all the trouble? - Ed) and there is a plethora of former players who were Catholic.

Their entire campaign is based on a list of Catholic 'players' whom they assure us wore the Butcher's Vest throughout there Loyal and dignified History.
Here is that list.

Willie "Doc" Kivlichan 1906 - 1907
Colin Mainds 1906 - 1907
Tom Murray 1907 - 1908
Pat Lafferty 1886
Johnny Jackson 1917
James Tutty 1899 - 1900
Tom Dunbar 1891 - 1892
Joe Donnachie 1914 - 1918
Hugh O'Neill 1976
Constantine McGhie
Don Kichenbrand 1955 - 1956 (whom it was not known he was a Catholic when he signed)
Laurie Blyth played 1951-52 again signed by 'accident' and was released once his religion was known.
John Spencer played 1987-1992, 13 appearances, John Clare
Johnny Kennedy
Charles McCafferty (Never made a first team appearance)
Daniel Divers
Chris Houston
John Manners
Bob Cleary
George (or Gorg) Banciewicz
Eddie Devenney
Terry Sloan
Brian Grubb
Edward Devlin
Andy Casey
Tom Cassidy
Bob "Dancer" Dunn
Peter Mone
"Starry" McLachlan


Closer scrutiny however would reveal the true nature of some of these names was not of a footballing background, but was of a scholastic nature.

It would appear that many of the names that appear on this list are former teachers of St Aloysius College!

This from a comment posted on the Scotsman Site: -

"William at 72, your list of Catholic Rangers players is certainly impressively long. Obviously the very idea of a sectarian signing policy was a vile slur.
However, I notice that a large number of these Rangers players' names bear a striking similarity to those of the teaching staff working at St Aloysius College in the late 1970s and early 1980s. To wit:
Charles McCafferty or "Weed" as we knew him - Latin master at St Al's. Liked the Aeneid and Caesar's Gallic War. I didn't. Rumour had it that he had been on Celtic's books at one point.
Daniel (Dan) Divers - also Latin master at St Al's, as were Chris Houston (Sweaty, RIP) and Bob (Bob) Cleary. So that's the entire Latin department from my time at St Al's. What a great back four they'd have made. Badminton was more Sweaty's speed, I think.
John - or rather, Father - Manners was before my time, but I believe he was a Jesuit man and that his nickname was Toad.
George Banciewizc was a somewhat psychotic maths teacher, fond of hurling the wooden blackboard duster at the inattentive. Truly terrifying man and too scary for a nickname.
Terry Sloan was a fellow pupil who I sat beside in 4th year chemistry. Played bass in a very bad sub-Stranglers band called Underground Hero.
Brian Grubb was the useless and slightly thuggish physics teacher who was fired for moonlighting as a minicab driver. No need for a nickname with a surname likes that.
Edward Devlin was the useful but slightly scary physics teacher. Nickname was "Ernie" after the v dull motorbike daredevil cartoon of the same name.
Andy Casey was a rather dapper geography teacher who apparently had some connection with Clyde FC. Had a worrying attachment to colour pencils.
Tom (Butch) Cassidy was a Canadian redhead who succeeded Andy Casey as head of geography after Andy became burser in 1980. Trained to be a priest at Maynooth, but apparently couldn't hack it. Not a great teacher, but a good guy.
The fact that most of these teachers are actually grouped together by the subjects they taught tells me, William, that you have been hoaxed - and quite imaginatively. Who would have thought that these thoroughly Fenian pedagogues from the most Catholic school in Scotland led a double life as Rangers' non-sectarian alibi? God, you think you know people.
Unfortunately, all of this casts doubt on the veracity of most of the rest of your names, and thoroughly undermines your point, does it not?"

So the only question that requires to be answered is "Was this a deliberate Lie in an attempt to rewrite history, or, as this reporter prefers, a complex ruse by a 'timposter' on every ones favourite Rangers site"?

We'll let you decide!

Yours in Celtic (and getting it up them)

Clydebuilt