RANGERS FOOTBALL CLUB has had its fair share of leaders in its time but few have matched the passion, commitment and unbridled loyalty to the cause shown by Bobby Shearer.
RANGERS FOOTBALL CLUB has had its fair share of leaders in its time but few have matched the passion, commitment and unbridled loyalty to the cause shown by Bobby Shearer. In basic terms he was a Rangers fanatic – long before he joined the club in 1955 – and it was the ultimate honour for him when he received the captaincy in 1963. He was a man bursting with pride as he led the team to a glorious treble in 1963/64 as they cleaned up the domestic honours with a fantastic team.
Shearer was a tough guy in every sense of the expression and did not earn the nickname ‘Captain Cutlass’ for nothing. His tackling was fierce and players knew they had been in a game when they came up against Shearer, who played right-back for Scot Symon’s all-conquering team.
Indeed, there is a story that one tackle in particular in a pre-season was so severe that he carried through and crashed into a substitute who was on the sidelines – they were only allowed in non-competitive games in those days – and just about cut him in two! The poor substitute had to be taken away for treatment.
Shearer was maybe not the quickest of players but he was strong and influential on those around him – especially emerging young players. John Greig, who became a marvellous captain in his own right, said, ‘I have a lot to thank Bobby for. He was the captain of the team when I came in and he really helped me settle. He was a great captain because he led by example. He personified the Rangers spirit with his will to win and it rubbed off on everyone.’
Willie Henderson shares the same view and counts him as a great influence and guide when he was breaking into the team. He said, ‘I was 17 when I made my Rangers debut and he was captain at the time. There were not many people I listened to but he was one of them. He was one of those people who, when I look back at my time at Ibrox, was a real true blue Ranger. He played for the jersey and he loved the club.’
Shearer was signed for £2,000 from Hamilton in 1955 having spent five seasons with his local team. He played 16 times in his first season as Rangers held off Aberdeen to win the 1955/56 championship. He learned much during his first campaign playing alongside experienced players like George Young and Ian McColl and the following season scarcely missed a match as the Light Blues retained their crown, this time edging our Hearts. Strong and fit, he put together a run of 165 successive games as Rangers dominated the Scottish scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
He was also in at the beginning of the Light Blues’ European adventures when he played in the European Cup games in the autumn and winter of 1956. In all he appeared 30 times in Europe for Rangers including the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1960 and the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup the following year when they lost to Fiorentina.
But his sweetest success was probably the title victory in the 1958/59 season because it was Celtic who helped Rangers win it. Rangers were two points clear of Hearts going into the final day but the Tynecastle side had the better goal average. The Light Blues promptly lost 2-1 at home to Aberdeen and the Ibrox fans booed loudly thinking their team had blown the title. However, the jeers turned to cheers when it was announced that their old rivals came to the rescue by defeating Hearts 2-1.
The following season, Shearer proved his commitment to the cause when he ended up as the last line of defence taking over from the injured keeper George Niven after only either minutes of a League meeting with Hearts. Rangers ran out 3-1 winners.
Sandy Jardine, then a young apprentice at Ibrox, used to clean Shearer’s boots as part of his duties and remembers the full-back’s influence at the club: ‘He was a great character. Bobby was a supporter as a kid. He understood the history and the tradition to win. In football you can face better players and better teams but if you have the desire to succeed then many times you will.’
Shearer left Rangers in 1965 having spent ten magnificent years with the club. He played one season with Queen of the South before his retirement but then moved into management, becoming Third Lanark’s manager in what was to be their last fateful season, 1966/67, following that with a spell as boss at Hamilton Academical in 1970/71. A regular at Ibrox in the intervening years, Bobby passed away on 6 November 2006 aged 74.