Rangers legend John Brown has been speaking about the famous relationship between Mo Johnston and Jimmy Bell, 30 years on from when Johnston signed for Rangers.
Johnston’s signing at Rangers sent a shockwave through Scottish football and Scotland as a whole. Mojo would become the most high-profile player of Irish Catholic descent to play for Rangers in history.
It was a move made even more intense by the fact Johnston was a former Celtic player and was on the verge of a move back to his boyhood club.
The transfer would change the game forever and was a welcome move by Graeme Souness. And as Brown explains, Jimmy Bell only demanded one thing from Johnston.
“A big highlight [of the pre-season training camp] was just before bedtime when the kit man Jimmy Bell, who is still at Rangers, came round with wee sweet treats,” Brown tells the Daily Record.
“Coisty was rooming with Maurice and I always remember him saying, ‘Jimmy can I get some Maltesers?’ Aye, nae bother. ‘What about a Mars Bar, Jimmy? And have you got a Milky Way?’ Coisty took a bit of everything that was in the bag when Maurice said ‘Jimmy can I get…’
“And before he’d finished the sentence Jimmy said, ‘See when you score against Celtic, that’s when you’ll start earning some treats.’ He gave him nothing and just walked out the room.
“Of course Maurice did go on to score against Celtic and Jimmy delivered on his bargain with the sweets.
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“It was just typical west of Scotland banter and Maurice took it well.”
The iconic Rangers kit man was obviously determined for Maurice Johnston to prove his loyalty to the Ibrox club.
Such was the scepticism around the transfer from both sides of the Old Firm, Brown “admires” Mo Johnston for having the bottle to go through with the move.
It’s a scepticism that may well have been felt by Jimmy Bell.
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