BACK TO THE FUTURE-PART 1
Where we’re going we don’t need roads.
Look out your hoverboards, self tieing laces and keep an eye on the weather report for lightning hitting the clock tower, we’re about to go on an adventure.
Step into my Dolerian and let’s hit 88mph, the flux capacitor will do the rest, in this series I take you to an alternative world, I pick out an event in Rangers history and surmise what would have happened in an alternative reality.
DATE: Summer 1994
EVENT: Andy Goram is transfer listed, Liverpool snap up the keeper for £2.5 million, as a replacement for the erratic David James.
This one is easy to imagine, after heading off to Spain at the end of season 93/94 the goalie missed his flight home, drinking and falling on the wrong side of Rangers gaffer Walter Smith.
Goram was subsequently placed on the transfer list, with no takers or serious offers made to the club, due in large part to other clubs not believing Rangers would entertain the prospect of letting Goram leave.
In this world we imagine the outcome had a bid came in and accepted by Liverpool. Back in 94 Liverpool could have used a keeper, David James was then as he would continue to be largely inconsistent, costing Liverpool valuable points and games throughout his spell at the club.
Lets imagine then Liverpool bid and captured the player’s signature, what impact would that have in the two clubs fortunes.
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Even with the goalie in the mood to dispel all those who doubted him Liverpool would have not had won the Premier League, Blackburn and Man Utd were quite simply the better teams at that stage.
I do think that despite a campaign that would have been littered by injuries still Goram would have helped Liverpool in securing 3rd place ahead of Frank Clark’s Nottingham Forest in 2nd, the league cup would still have been won with Goram out injured for most matches outwith the final.
In the F.A cup I have Liverpool getting to semi-final stages, before defeat at the hands of winners Everton, Daniel Amokaki finally slotting past Goram, something he had failed to do in the 92/93 champions league.
The following season I have Liverpool winning the F.A cup beating Man Utd on penalties at Wembley, more importantly I have Liverpool winning the Premiership in season 95/96, taking advantage of a poor start by Blackburn, Man Utd and a late collapse by Kevin Keegans Newcastle. Liverpool without David James throwing away points in games with Manchester United, taking full points in matches with Ipswich and QPR, Liverpool build momentum with Robbie Fowler leading the line.
As for Rangers we still win our 7 & 8 league titles in a row, but fail to secure the coveted 9th, in large part due to Celtic gaining the belief build up over recent old firm victories.
There is no stop over from Van Hooijdonk at point-blank range or penalty save at parkhead, no it’s far worse.
Walter Smith does not see the need to replace Goram at the offset, instilling his faith in Ally Maxwell, the man who had deputised for Goram the previous season, but with far worse consequences.
Now Rangers couldn’t have gone out of Europe or the coca cola cup any quicker than we did that season, but it would have been blamed at Maxwell’s door, forcing Walter Smith into panic buying Ian Walker from Spurs for £3.5 million.
Walker would have done ok at Rangers gaining a few league championship medals and cup ones before the failed 9 in a row campaign seen Walter Smith hounded out the Ibrox hot seat, before taking over at Arsenal to replace George Graham.
As for Goram, he would have blown out his knee during a spice boys trip at the end of the season to la manga doing the Scatman. That would have seen the beginning of the end of the Goalie playing out his remaining days with Leeds and then back to Oldham.
As for Rangers….. to be continued, we appoint George Graham as manger and there’s where we will pick off in part 2 of our adventure back in time, keep hold of that sports almanac and next week I will bring you what happens with that.