'Crossing The Great Divide’ – Maurice Johnston’s 1989 transfer saga and how it was influenced by and impacted upon Sectarianism in Scottish society

Nowadays, barely a day passes by during a transfer window without hyperbolic transfer speculation amongst both the traditional Tabloid media and 'fan media' outlets.  However, in the summer of 1989, a transfer saga ensued that was genuinely seismic.  The signing of Maurice Johnston by Glasgow Rangers turned a century of tradition upside down, led to potential boycotts amongst Rangers fans and saw fans on the other side of The Old Firm divide shattered by 'an almighty blow' that Graeme Souness had delivered to Celtic through securing Johnston's signature.Johnston was presented as the first high-profile Roman Catholic player to be signed by Rangers.  Staunchly loyalist Protestant fans of the Ibrox club were aghast at the decision not only to sign a Catholic, but one who had previously been outspoken in his condemnation of both Rangers fans and the club's "religious policy they maintain(ed)".  Fans interviewed on the day threatened a boycott, some burned season tickets and others vowed never to set foot inside Ibrox again, seeing the signing as a betrayal of the club's traditions.If the transfer in itself was not sensational enough, the situation was compounded by the fact that only a matter of weeks previously, Johnston had been paraded as a Celtic signing ahead of the 1989 Scottish Cup Final (a contest between the two Old Firm titans, which Celtic won 1-0 denying their arch rivals a domestic treble).  At Hampden that day, Celtic fans saluted their returning hero - chants of "Mo, Mo.  Super Mo!" echoing amongst their jubilant support.  The Rangers' fans response of "Mo, Mo.  Fuck your Mo!" made their feelings on the matter clear.In the immediate aftermath of the fixture, Rangers manager Graeme Souness made an off-the-cuff remark about Rangers being about to do something over the course of the summer that would hurt Celtic for years to come.  No-one could have foreseen what happened next.In this episode of 'The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life', we explore how the transfer took place, why it represented such a seismic shock and landmark transfer and what the long-term impact of the transfer was.  Did it represent “a quantum change in Scottish football and Scottish society” as was suggested at the time or was it merely more a reflection of wider societal shifts that had already taken place with respect to the role of The Church in Scotland?