chilledbear 16 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 I thought this was worth sharing. First time poster so bear with me. I was extremely fortunate to go on holiday 26 years a go and meet a superb guy from Linwood who invited me a geordie englishman up to Ibrox, what he started was a love affair. I have had the pleasure of supporting Glasgow Rangers ever since and if i may I would like to share with you all a story that I heard this afternoon. 26 years is along time, I have heard and witnessed some truly majestic occasions and I am not ashamed to admit suffered as well but throughout I remain and I will always remain a Rangers man. I live in Blyth Northumberland and I am a teacher in Newcastle, on bus duty today a colleague approached who said one of the kids had said that I was aRangers fan, he had wanted to speak to me for a while. He asked if I knew my history of Rangers, had I heard of a former player called Willie Woodburn? Legend is used very loosely in football but without a doubt Mr Woodburn fits into that category. His wife's grandfather is / was Mr Woodburn he shared this story A few years ago during pre season it was Mr Woodburns birthday there was a family gathering in one of the lounges at Ibrox, very sadly Mr Woodburn was beset with health issues and quite deeply affected by altzeimers, after lunch the family were allowed down the tunnel to the edge of the pitch, the pitch had signs up as well as being roped off. Now bearing in mind Mr Woodburns age and health complications he proceeded to climb over the rope, everyone was waiting for an official but none came to order them off. My colleague was asked to go with him in case he fell, he did but kept his distance as for the first time in a while he felt that he looked alive, well and rather cruelly all there. Mr Woodburn went to the centre of the pitch where he stood for a few moments with his arms out, he said two words as he wept "I remember" Mr Woodburn left the pitch and never spoke of that moment, my colleague today left me an emotional wreck what a story. The first thing I did was ring my pal Dave who now lives on Rothesay to share like I have done with you Thanks for reading god bless Willie Woodburn and god bless Glasgow Rangers 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aweebluesoandso 290 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Great story. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbr 1,247 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Fantastic , there's tear in my eye now 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhunter 0 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 What an incredibly moving story. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve1872 4 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Between 1938 and 1954 Woodburn played 325 games for Rangers, scoring a solitary goal. He won four League titles, four Scottish Cups and two league Cups: three Doubles and a Treble. And he was capped 24 times for Scotland. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve1872 4 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 The following article was featured in the February 1999's FourFourTwo magazine.[TABLE=width: 100%] [TR] [TD=align: left]THE LIFER by Gordon ThomsonIn the car on the way to school matches, on the pages of odorous football annuals, on a sun-kissed Glasgow terrace, drifting into sleep... his name was everywhere. He was my creepy uncle, though I never met him, my ghoulish invisible friend, though I never spoke to him, my Keyser Soze. though I never feared him. In truth, he was a mystery to me, and the most beguiling football player I have never known. Wrapped inside this enigma was a scapegoat of the Scottish football disciplinary system, a man deemed so evil it is hard to imagine him as a man at all. But when we are nine or ten the story is everything; the truth inconsequential. That his story also taught me a Latin phrase was equally unimportant. Except sine die didn't, sound like a learn-it-by-rote classroom clause. It was much more than that. It sounded like the end. read more:http://www.ayeready.com/features/woodburn.html[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Moon 1,105 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 What a lovely story. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tannochsidebear 2,306 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Great story. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangersitis 0 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Superb stuff. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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