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Rab Douglas, goal keeper
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Robert James Douglas, known as Rab, (born 24 April 1972
in Lanark) is a Scottish footballer, who plays as a goalkeeper for
Arbroath. He played for several clubs, including Livingston, Dundee,
Celtic, Leicester City and Forfar Athletic. Douglas was part of the
Celtic side that reached the 2003 UEFA Cup Final, under the management
of Martin O'Neill. He also represented Scotland at international level,
playing 19 times between 2002 and 2005. In 2017 Douglas was inducted
into the Dundee FC Hall of Fame.
Douglas began his professional career in 1993 when he signed for
Scottish Second Division side Meadowbank Thistle. In the summer of 1997,
Scottish First Division side Dundee signed Douglas. He was an
ever-present in the side as Dundee won the 199798 Scottish First
Division and gained promotion to the Scottish Premier League.
In 2000, he joined Celtic from Dundee and became first-choice goalkeeper
at the club, displacing Jonathan Gould. He won the Scottish Premier
League (SPL) title and the Scottish Cup in his first season at the club,
but was cup-tied for their victorious 200001 Scottish League Cup
campaign. In November 2001, and won the SPL Player of the Month Award.
He was a member of the team that reached the 2003 UEFA Cup Final against
F.C. Porto, playing well in the games leading up the final, but
considered culpable by many fans for at least one of Porto's goals in
Seville.
During the 200304 and 200405 seasons he faced stiff competition from
Swedish international Magnus Hedman and youngster David Marshall. A
high-profile blunder against Rangers in 2005 led to increased
speculation about his future. At the end of the season, Douglas was told
by manager Martin O'Neill that he would not be first choice for next
season.
As a result, Douglas decided to join Leicester City on a free transfer.
But on 7 June 2007, Douglas was placed on the transfer list. On 14
September 2007, Douglas joined Millwall on an emergency four-week loan,
making his debut in a 21 defeat to Walsall on 15 September. On 23
October, he joined Wycombe Wanderers on a three-month loan deal, making
three appearances. Douglas loan spell ended on 12 December 2007.
On 14 March 2008, Douglas joined Plymouth Argyle on a week's emergency
loan as cover for the suspended Luke McCormick, making his only
appearance in a 21 away win over Bristol City. On 15 May, he was
released by Leicester as his contract was close to expiring and later
joined former club Dundee on a free transfer.
For the second time of his career, Douglas was playing for Dundee. He
played against his former club, Celtic, in the fourth round of the
200809 Scottish Cup. The club would win the final of the Scottish
Challenge Cup against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, with Douglas in
goal.
On 8 May 2013, with the club now relegated to the First Division, it was
announced that Douglas would not be offered a new contract. On 13 May
2013, at half-time in a match between Dundee and Kilmarnock, Douglas was
given standing ovation from the fans during an emotional lap of honour
and, at the end of the season, Douglas was awarded SunSport's Dundee
Player of the Year award.
On 25 July 2013, Douglas joined Scottish League One side Forfar Athletic
on a one-year deal. On 8 September 2013, Douglas returned for Celtic to
play one match as keeper in Celtic's charity match in honour of Stiliyan
Petrov. Douglas played a crucial role in Forfar's promotion challenge in
the 14/15 season. In December 2015, Douglas quit the Station Park side.
After almost a year without a club, Douglas signed for Scottish League
Two side Arbroath, but at the end of his short-term contract, Douglas
left the club on 20 January 2017. Douglas subsequently re-signed for
Arbroath at the end of March 2017 and then rejoined the Lichties, making
his return to football in a victory against Queen's Park in November
2017.
Douglas was a regular for Scotland during the UEFA Euro 2004
qualification campaign. After a 60 loss to the Netherlands in Amsterdam
in the qualifying playoff, Douglas lost his position as first team
goalkeeper. It was a night from which his Scotland career never really
recovered and he played just once more under Berti Vogts, against Wales,
in a 40 defeat.
Douglas was recalled to the Scotland squad in 2005 by Walter Smith for a
2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Italy, but he had to be
substituted in the 38th minute due to injury. His last appearance for
Scotland was a friendly match in August 2005, where he came on as a
second-half substitute in a 22 draw against Austria. In all he played
19 times for Scotland.
Douglas was declared bankrupt in January 2017. |
Sources
Sources for this article include:
Barry Hugman's Footballers
The Dundee Courier, various editions
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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