Right a Wrong: Induct Jim Forrest into Rangers Hall of Fame Before He Goes

With the death of Andy Goram, Walter Smith and Jimmy Bell, Rangers fans have had a sequence of losses last year. It has stirred in me the terrible wrong done to Jim Forrest being made the scapegoat for the Berwick Rangers defeat so long ago. That was chairman John Lawrence’s doing. I was only a kid and my hero was out the door. Jim is very much a Rangers fan. I don’t know if he gets along to games now with his health.

Steven Davis, James Tavernier and Allan McGregor all deserve to be in the Hall Of Fame. But Jim Forrest was one of the best footballers, a forward and not just a poacher. He played in the transition of the team from the partnership of Jimmy Millar and Ralph Brand when Rangers were under the thumb of a very successful Jock Stein’s Celtic. He was also signed as a schoolboy and developed at Rangers. He played 5 times for Scotland and was selected by Jock Stein.

Perhaps it was the recent sequence of players departing the field. It was also the recent death of Uwe Seeler the Hamburg centre forward, like Forrest, another ‘small forward’ and earlier death of Bayern Munich’s Gerhard Müller which made me think of Forrest.

Jim Forrest’s Record Scoring

He joined Rangers from school in 1960, Forrest made his debut for the club just after his 18th birthday in November 1962. He was league top scorer in 1963-64 and 64-65 (57 goals) as well only one goal behind George McLean (both Forrest & McLean transferred in 1967 after Berwick loss in Scottish Cup) in 65-66. He played 163 games for Rangers and scored 145 goals.

Forrest’s scoring records are second to none. Especially against Celtic.

24 August 1963 Forrest scored a goal in 3-0 win against Celtic at home in League Cup. He scored 4 against Morton in the final.

7 March 1964 Forrest scored a goal in Scottish Cup quarter Final against Celtic.

24 October 1964 Forrest scored both goals in the League Cup final against Celtic 2-1.

1 January 1965 Forrest scored the winning goal against Celtic 1-0 at Ibrox.

1 January 1965 game video: Tottie Beck Icelandic player playing for Rangers was clattered by Jimmy Johnstone and sent off. Bobby Murdoch missed a penalty.

Forrest highlights:

He’s still a Rangers fan even though he was shafted, he’s one of us and he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame before it’s too late for him to know how much he’s remembered.

For Andy, Walter and Gerd, Uwe, Big Caesar (all 3 suffered from dementia from their playing days). Like Wee Jim they are Immortals:

Mortals, mortals,

we are immortal.

I never told you it,

But we are immortal.

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