CLASS, elegance and composure are just three words that fit perfectly with a man who was not only a fantastic player but also a great ambassador for Rangers.
Only John Greig and Dougie Gray made more appearances for the club and yet it took nearly four seasons of first-team football before Sandy Jardine settled into the right back position – a role in which he was to excel.
Of course, he went on to become a vital member of the side that won two trebles in three years in a long career that marked him down as one of the greatest Rangers players of the post-war era.
Sandy Jardine came to Rangers from school at the age of 15. He had just turned 18 when he made his debut at right half against Hearts in February 1967. He retained his place for the rest of the season and scored a screamer in a 2-2 draw against Celtic in the last league match of the campaign. But joy turned to disappointment when he played in the European Cup Winners’ Cup final later in May. Rangers lost 1-0 to an extra-time goal against Bayern Munich.
At the start of the 1968/69 season, on the instructions of manager Davie White, Jardine found himself playing centre forward. He had some striking success, scoring 11 goals in 12 consecutive appearances.
However, when Willie Waddell took over from White towards the end of 1969/70 he moved Jardine again, this time to full back. He was a natural. A reliable tackler with attacking instincts and armed with the skill and pace to get past people, he became one of the first exponents of the overlapping fullback role.
He won his first major trophy in October 1970 in the 1-0 defeat of Celtic in the League Cup final and the following month made his first appearance for Scotland, coming on as a substitute against Denmark at Hampden. His first international start came in October 1971 in a European Championships qualifier against Portugal. He marked the great Eusebio out of the game and Scotland won 2-1.
That was the beginning of what was to be a remarkable spell for Jardine. On April 19 he scored a crucial goal in the European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final against Bayern Munich. A week later, on April 27, he started a run of 171 consecutive appearances for the club, which continued until 30 August 1975, speaking volumes about his outstanding ability and his fitness.
On May 24 that year, he won a Cup Winners’ Cup winner’s medal against Moscow Dynamo in Barcelona. He won a Scottish Cup winner’s medal the following year and in 1974 he was selected for Scotland’s squad for the World Cup in Germany.
After the tournament Jardine and Celtic’s Danny McGrain, who represented Scotland together in 19 internationals, were spoken of as the best fullback pairing in the competition. Scotland were undefeated, beating Zaire 2-0 and drawing with Brazil and Yugoslavia. They failed to qualify for the later stages only by virtue of having an inferior goal average to that of Brazil. But the Scots were impressive, and none more so than Jardine who played in all three matches.
Back home, the next season saw Rangers take the championship for the first time in 11 years. Jardine was again ever-present, scoring nine goals in 34 league games. He captained the side at Easter Road on the day that Colin Stein’s header gave Rangers the point they needed to be champions – even if Sandy hit the post with a penalty! And he made way for the injured John Greig to come on in the final seconds as a substitute to savour the moment.
There was even more success to come, however, with two trebles in three years in seasons 1975/76 and 1977/78. The trophies include two League Cup final victories over Celtic, 1-0 and 2-1. During that 1975 League Cup run, Jardine scored five goals in seven including a hat-trick against Airdrie.
He was again selected for the World Cup in Argentina in 1978, but he was troubled by injury and played only in the 1-1 draw with Iran. However, there was compensation in the 1978/79 season as Rangers retained both the Scottish and League Cups, beating Hibernian 3-2 after second replay and Aberdeen 2-1 in the respective finals.
At the start of the 1979/80 season Jardine scored what was probably the goal of his career. Facing Celtic in the Drybrough Cup final, he won possession in a tackle on the edge of his own penalty area then ran almost the length of the field, beating defender after defender. As he reached the Celtic box, he cut inside and unleashed a left-foot shot that rifled into the back of the net. It was a glorious goal – yet one which didn’t quite get the credit it deserved.
Rangers’ final goal in that 3-1 victory was scored by Davie Cooper, who flicked the ball in the air four times over Celtic defenders before slotting it home. It was a breathtaking moment and as Jardine himself has said with wry humour, ‘I hardly got a mention in the papers the following day.’ But Jardine’s strike remains one that any player would be proud to have locked away in his bag of memories.
There were two more cup winner’s medals to be had – a 4-1 victory over Dundee United in a replayed Scottish Cup final in 1981 and, later in the year, a 2-1 League Cup final win over the same opponents. But the final break with the team that had won those two trebles was soon approaching and, after playing in every league game in 1981/82, Jardine was released by the Light Blues and joined Hearts.
With Jardine as their sweeper, Hearts went close to honours in 1985/86, finishing runners-up in both the championship and the Scottish Cup. There was heartbreak in the league; they lost 2-0 at Dundee while Celtic beat St Mirren 5-1 to steal the title on goal difference. Jardine was chosen as Scotland’s Player of the Year. He was 37 and it was the second time he had received the honour, though he will tell you it was his third such award as he was part of the World Cup squad in 1974 who jointly received this accolade.
When he retired from playing, Sandy became player-assistant manager and then joint manager at Hearts, where he remained until 1988. He then returned to Rangers to work in several roles – including sales, scouting and player liaison – before he lost his battle with cancer and died on 24 April 2014. In July of that same year, Rangers announced they would be changing the name of the Govan Stand to the Sandy Jardine Stand in his honour.
A man of principle, integrity and class and a truly gifted footballer, Jardine was extremely proud of his football career and regarded his time in blue as a genuine honour and privilege.
In a special interview with fellow legend Ally McCoist conducted shortly before his tragic passing, Sandy recalled his astonishing 50-year association with the club.