Allan McGregor is Rangers’ undisputed first-choice goalkeeper at present, but there is some uncertainty over who will be his understudy next season with Wes Foderingham already gone and Vaclav Hladky, formerly of St Mirren, linked with a move to Ibrox.
But what about the best Rangers keepers in history? Here are the top eight.
Andy Goram
You won’t find many who disagree on Andy Goram as the greatest goalkeeper to have ever played for Rangers.
In fact, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players, goalkeeper or otherwise, to have worn the light blue shirt, becoming an icon of the Ibrox club during one of its most successful periods.
‘The Goalie,’ as he was nicknamed, was Rangers’ first choice between the posts for five of the club’s historic nine-in-a-row run in the 1990s and was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2010, illustrating the esteem he is still held in to this day.
Goram is a true Rangers legend - and a legend of the Scottish game in general.
Stefan Klos
Signed in 1998 from Borussia Dortmund having won the Champions League only one season earlier, the addition of Stefan Klos made waves at Ibrox.
Nicknamed ‘Der Goalie’ in reference to Goram’s nickname, the German joined on a contract that, at the time, made him one of the highest earning players in all of European football.
Klos justified such a hefty outlay by going on to make over 200 appearances for Rangers, winning four Scottish Premier League titles, three Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups in nine years at Ibrox.
An injury at the start of the 2006/07 season gave his deputy Allan McGregor a chance to prove his worth as a long-term successor, but Klos had already earned his place as a Rangers legend by then.
Allan McGregor
As already referenced, McGregor was given his chance when under Paul Le Guen he deputised for an injured Klos at the start of the 2006/07 season.
Of course, Le Guen’s short-lived time in Scotland was a disaster, failing to see out the season at Ibrox, but the emergence of McGregor as Rangers’ next long-term goalkeeper was a highlight.
McGregor kept his place and became a Scotland international before leaving for Besiktas when financial meltdown hit Rangers in 2012. He enjoyed a successful stint with Hull City, proving himself in the Premier League, before returning to Ibrox in 2018, where he is still the Light Blues’ number one.
Chris Woods
Signed by Graeme Souness in 1986 as part of the contingent of English talent that arrived at Ibrox around that time, Chris Woods made an instant impact at Rangers, winning a league and cup double in his first season with the club.
The England international set a new British record after going close to 1,200 minutes without conceding between November 1986 and January 1987.
Ultimately, Woods was replaced by Goram following the appointment of Walter Smith as Rangers manager, but this was largely down to new rules which limited the number of foreign players, with English players seen in Scotland as foreign. Woods left for Sheffield Wednesday, but is still remembered fondly in Govan.
Peter McCloy
There are few, if any, Rangers goalkeepers who can match Peter McCloy for longevity.
He was first choice at Ibrox for the majority of his 16-year spell at the club, making over 350 appearances for the Light Blues over the 1970s and 1980s. Nicknamed ‘The Girvan Lighthouse,’ he was a stalwart of the Scottish game.
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McCloy left Rangers in 1986 having won everything there was to win in the Scottish game and was also the club’s goalkeeper for their famous 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup triumph, the only
European trophy the Light Blues have won to this day. McCloy played every match of that celebrated 1971/72 campaign.
Billy Ritchie
A part of the famous Rangers side of the 1960s, Billy Ritchie more than deserves his place in the pantheon of the great goalkeepers to have played for the club. He made 369 appearances for the
Light Blues and was an ever-present in the Treble-winning season of 1963/64, also playing his part as Rangers made the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1961.
Rangers lost that final to Fiorentina, but the achievement of getting to the final in the first place still warrants recognition. Ritchie died in 2016 after a short period of illness and is still remembered to this day as a true legend of the Ibrox club.
Neil Alexander
While he might have spent much of his career as Rangers’ second-choice goalkeeper, Neil Alexander proved his worth most notably during the 2007/08 season when an injury to first-choice McGregor saw him thrust into the spotlight for the club’s sensational run to the final of the UEFA Cup.
Indeed, Alexander played in a series of famous European wins, keeping a clean sheet in both legs of the semi-final against Fiorentina.
He kept his place for the final against Zenit St Petersburg, but was unable to prevent a 2-0 defeat to the Russians. Alexander stayed until 2013, making 61 appearances for Rangers in total.
Stewart Kennedy
He might not quite be held in the same esteem as some of the names on this list, but Stewart Kennedy played his part in the 1970s for Rangers.
The Stirling-born goalkeeper made the move from Stenhousemuir to Ibrox in 1973, initially signed as a back-up to the established McCloy who was first choice at the time.
Kennedy still managed to make 131 appearances for the Ibrox club over seven years and was a key figure in the historic title win of 1975, Rangers’ first league win in 11 years. It was only because of the presence of McCloy that Kennedy didn’t play more often for the Light Blues.
