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SFL WINNERS
NATURALLY, I was delighted when we clinched the SFL Third Division title, for the good of the club. It was our goal for the season and we got there with a fair bit to spare, as was expected of us and what we expected from ourselves. Of course, it was strange having to play in the bottom tier of Scottish football, but Rangers Football Club had no choice. The SFA and SPL played games with our club and let everyone down. So much happened to the club between the start of June and the start of August that it’s hard to know where to begin. On reflection, it was a ludicrous period. Scottish football’s hierarchy made a total mess of the situation. Even more despicable than that, many people in a position of authority revelled in our misfortune to create a civil war within our game. Sporting integrity? Do me a favour.
It started when it was found out Craig Whyte didn’t pay PAYE and NI contributions to the tune of around £15 million. That led us into administration and on the road to ruin. HMRC were still in pursuit of £49 million from the club, dating back to Sir David Murray’s tenure, as they believed the club had avoided paying tax on an EBT (Employee Benefit Trust) scheme. Towards the end of 2012 the taxman lost the case when an FTT (First Tier Tribunal) decided the undeclared payments were loans and not earnings and were therefore not subject to income tax. However, this wrangle and investigation ran on for more than three years. Had a decision been reached earlier then we may have avoided the scenario that unfolded after Whyte had been found out.
As it was, HMRC rejected the offer of a CVA (Company Voluntary Arrangement) from Duff and Phelps on 12 June, which condemned Glasgow Rangers Football Club to liquidation. It also meant that Charles Green’s newco had to apply to play in the SPL in season 2012-13. That was rejected and we were thrown out. We were left without a home. Us ending up in Division Three was relished by many in the SPL. Inevitably we had to move on some of our better players, which obviously weakened our team. We have some very good young players, but at the moment we’re not ready for Celtic. It pains me to say it. Our old rivals at the moment are the gold standard of the SPL and are pretty much guaranteed European football for the next few years. That’s the challenge we have and we will rise to it and through it in the coming five years.
We’ll need a year or two to get back into the SPL and then we’ll need a period of time to adjust and build a squad to challenge Celtic. A long, long road is ahead of Rangers but we have people at the club ready for the challenge. They will take it head on and make sure the club comes out the other side, bigger, better and stronger. Like Ally McCoist said when we went into administration, ‘We don’t do walking away,’ and I know he means that. I agree 100 per cent.
Other things happened to the club during that dark period in the summer of 2012. We were handed a transfer embargo by the SFA judicial panel, which meant we weren’t allowed to sign players during the January and summer transfer windows in 2013. We were also banned from playing in European football for three years.
We were then hounded by an SPL investigation to decide if we should be stripped of five SPL titles for alleged dual contracts for some players between 2000 and 2011. The SFA wanted Charles Green to voluntarily relinquish titles as part of an agreement to get us into the SFL First Division. Everybody wanted a boot at us. A few got in on the act and those who were on the outside wanted their pound of flesh. The conduct of some people within Scottish football was appalling. Some people wanted us found guilty without a hearing.
Too many chairmen and owners cut off their nose to spite their face and it has backfired for many. They allowed their fans to make the decision for them. What a cop-out. In return, the fans guaranteed they would make up the financial shortfall of not having Rangers in the top flight by boosting the average attendance figures and turning out in force. It didn’t happen. A few clubs have been let down by their fans. As a result, the manager will have his budget cut and it will mean the product on the pitch is unlikely to be as good. What an almighty mess. Some other clubs didn’t look at the bigger picture and it has backfired spectacularly.
Our club got treated abysmally and yet there was nothing we could do. We were powerless. Our only thought was to exist, and we had to take anything that was going. The SFA held back our Club Licence until the last moments before we played our opening game of the season away to Brechin City. It meant our pre-season was shambolic, an absolute joke. Just six players turned up for our first day back at training. We had to cancel our pre-season trip to Germany and we were only allowed to play games behind closed doors. It was totally unfair on Ally McCoist, his backroom staff and the remaining members of the top-team squad.
I didn’t know if I’d ever kick a ball again for the club. In fact, there was a period of about two weeks during July when I had a constant worry the club would shut down and cease to exist. And I mean that. I was scared that was going to happen because I just couldn’t see any way out for us as a football club. I remember thinking Rangers were too big to go into administration. Bang. It happened. Rangers are too big to go into liquidation. Bang. It happened. So, I thought our club may well have been forced to shut its doors and never be allowed to re-open. I had the feeling we were getting our medicine, taking our punishments, but it still wasn’t enough for some people. They wanted more and more; they wanted to twist the knife. There appeared to be deep-rooted hatred of Rangers and jealousy which took precedence over the well-being of Scottish football.
I also had a situation to deal with during the summer with SFA chief executive Stewart Regan. It came to my attention in June 2012 that there was an offensive tweet on his Twitter account. It was a tweet about wanting me hung. I was livid, but I let it go. I was prepared to let developments unfold without forcing anything. The following day, Darryl Broadfoot, the SFA Head of Communications, phoned to say Stewart had made a mistake and had not intended to send the message. The offensive tweet had been sent to him and he had intended to save it as evidence, as he was to report all bigoted and sectarian tweets. But, instead, he accidentally sent it. I told Darryl that I understood mistakes happen but I’d prefer to hear it from Stewart. Late that night Regan phoned me. He said that he would say sorry for what had happened but, in his opinion, there was nothing to say sorry for. But he wanted to make it clear that the offensive tweet had been sent in error and there was no ill will on his part. I told him I wasn’t happy, as I didn’t want to be linked with being hung. It only puts ideas in the heads of the morons. But I believed him when he said it was accidental and by the end of the phone call we agreed to put it to bed and move on.
As a football club we found some open arms and comfort from the SFL. They had a vote on whether they wanted us or not and twenty-five out of their thirty member clubs voted us into their Third Division. Game on. In a way I’ve felt it’s made the club a more family club as everyone knows where they are and we’re all pulling in the one direction.
I had always said I would never walk out on Rangers and that after going through so much to get to the club, I wasn’t going to quit. But I did have a wee wobble just before the competitive season got underway.
A big part of me also missed some of the experienced lads that had left the club, in particular Allan McGregor. He left the club and I was surprised at his decision but totally understood where he was coming from. However, I got the feeling he didn’t really want to go because he is Rangers through and through. Not long after he made that decision he phoned me to say he felt he had made a mistake and wanted back. I informed the manager, but, of course, it was impossible for that move to happen. I tried my best for Allan. Not only is he my mate, he is a leader on and off the pitch. He’s invaluable.
I got my head together and had to concentrate on getting myself ready for a massive season in the club’s history. I didn’t want to let anyone down. Anything other than winning the league would have been an absolute disaster and embarrassment.
Our first game was away to Brechin City in the Ramsdens Cup. After a disastrous pre-season, we cobbled
a team together. Due to the lack of games, few of us were anywhere near the level of match-fitness we’d been used to in the past. We won 2–1 after extra-time. Andy Little scored our opening goal and I got the winner.
Our first competitive game at Ibrox was against East Stirling and kick-off had to be delayed due to the size of the crowd. The stadium was bursting at the seams. Nobody envisaged that every seat would be taken. We won 5–1 and I scored two goals.
In terms of league games, the season was fairly smooth for us. We had to dig in in many games and grind out results. That was fine. We lost away to Stirling Albion and at home to Annan Athletic. Both were real low points. I don’t want to sound arrogant but we beat ourselves in those games. That’s the way it was, for whatever reason, but we were always going to have one or two hiccups along the way. When the going gets tough and things aren’t going to plan, when there is internal and external pressure, then that’s when you really find out what people are made of, how they react in the face of adversity. Some go away and hide. Some blame others to deflect any deficiencies away from their own doorstep. Expectation levels at Rangers are very high and more than a few employees have been found out over the years. I keep telling the young boys to work hard and never take anything for granted.
After the Stirling defeat, we played at home to Queens Park in a Glasgow derby. There was pressure on us going into that game and we knew we needed to show a reaction from the previous week’s embarrassment. We were drawing at half-time and our fans booed us off the pitch. I was far from satisfied with our performance. I played centre-forward and didn’t have a good first half either, but I felt, as captain, I had to say something. In the dressing room I had a right go at Ian Black. I told Black his level of performance wasn’t acceptable and the team needed more from him. He wasn’t happy and had a go back at me. I was standing up, drinking a bottle of water, and I threw the bottle of water in his direction. It bounced off the wall, just above his head. I then went for him and both of us had to be held back. Calm was restored before we went out onto the pitch. We went out and won the game. I picked out Blackie because I knew he could handle the fight. I knew he could take it and react in the right way.
I felt Black played well in the second half and what I said to him had the desired impact. I didn’t want to have a go at him but something needed to be done. He was in the engine room of the team and is one of our more experienced players. It needed to be said. Kenny McDowall came to me at full-time to say I was quite right to have a go. I apologised to Blackie at full-time for throwing the water bottle in his direction.
Big Davie Weir attended that day. His dad had sadly passed away earlier that week. I attended the funeral. Davie stayed on for a couple of days and was in the directors’ box. I wore a black armband as a mark of respect for Mr Weir. When I scored the first goal that day I ran away, pointed to the armband and waved up to Davie. He was chuffed. Davie told me his dad would have loved that.
Davie wasn’t one for saying much in the dressing room before games or at half-time, but I remember he exploded one afternoon when we were in the SPL and away to Aberdeen. Kyle Lafferty was having a shocker and Davie absolutely ripped him to shreds. Davie’s veins popped out of his neck and he had a horrible look in his eye as he gave both barrels to Lafferty. Walter Smith was the manager then. He stood back and let his skipper get on with it.
During my time at Rangers I served under four captains. Barry Ferguson led the club to the treble in 2003 when he was just twenty-five years old. Barry wasn’t one for talking to the rest of lads in the dressing room before games or at half-time to gee the boys up, but on the pitch he never stopped. He talked nonstop, most of the time it was moaning and sometimes he would go over the top with it, but there was method in it. Barry was always thinking of the bigger picture. I know some of the new signings found it very difficult to cope with and they weren’t particularly fond of Barry because of it. But, after a while, they had total respect for him. The players would be out of their shell after six months and able to cope with most things that came their way. Barry felt it was better he shouted at them rather than nearly 50,000 getting onto them from the stands. Every player gets a honeymoon period from the supporters and that was when Barry would give it tight to the new lads.
That’s the kind of thing I’ve taken from Barry and into my captaincy. Every young player at the club will say I’m a moaner – sometimes to the point of being a nasty piece of work on the park – but I’m doing it for their own good. I’m on at them constantly to win their tackles and their headers, and if they do something good I will tell them to make sure they follow it up with another positive. I’ve not allowed them to rest on their laurels. I’ve been there with fans on my back. It was a horrible, horrible place to be in and there was no hiding from it. For the young players to be ready for the SPL in one or two years’ time they need to be able to cope with stick, and if they give the ball away, they need to look for possession right away. I speak to the young players all the time, make sure they’ve been motivated and that everything is good in their world. I’ve enjoyed seeing them thrive and it has humbled me. They put up with a lot of listening to me moaning and shouting and also advising them to keep away from the bevvy and not to go out most weekends. I’m only doing it to get the best out of them and that’s what matters to me most. A few came to me over the months for advice and, sometimes, a sort of shoulder to cry on. I’ve been comfortable with that, as, in many ways, that’s what I’m there for.
Robbie Crawford is inquisitive. He has a good head on young shoulders. He has an excellent attitude. He always asks questions, he’s very thorough. I can tell Robbie lives and breathes the game. I like that. He reminds me of myself when I was a young player at Motherwell, always asking questions and gathering information and knowledge from the senior professionals. I’ll be very surprised if he doesn’t go a long way in the game. He works away quietly in the background but he is going to be a very effective player for Rangers for many years to come.
The captaincy has brought many mixed feelings and emotions. As captain you have to put yourself second and the team first so any personal glory for me is no gain and it’s all about team glory – but I’ve always been this way through my career anyway. The young players have helped keep me fresh and enthusiastic, although I’ve always found it easy to be motivated. I don’t want to sound like a saddo, but I have been up for every game this season. Listen, I might not have played well in all of them but I give my all. That’s the way I’ve always been and I’ll never change – whether it’s a pre-season friendly or a training game, I’m all in, all the time. I’m not ashamed to say that and I’m not doing it to deliver a cliché.
Yet there were some things the Third Division was unable to deliver, obviously – the main one being playing against Celtic. I miss the Old Firm games. I loved playing in them. I’m sure Neil Lennon and Ally McCoist will be glad of a rest away from the pressures and strains of the Old Firm, but I’m not of that mind. As I’ve said before, I may well have played in my last ever Old Firm game and that is a painful thought for me. I was envious when I watched Cetic play in the Champions League and beat Barcelona. I’ve missed the SPL. I can’t hide from that. I can’t tell any lies. However, I think there had to be a fresh start. We had to get away from some of the clubs and some of the people in the top division. Let them see how they would handle life without us in the top division. It’s been refreshing to play at other grounds too because it does get monotonous going to the same grounds every season, week in, week out.
The standard in our own play has dipped in the past season, there is no doubt about that. But we lost so many top players that it was inevitable that was going to happen. It would be ludicrous to expect inexperienced teenagers to come in and fill the boots of someone such as Steve Davis, Steven Whittaker or Stevie Naismith. That was never going to happen. That’s why I fully expected 2012-13 in the SFL Third Division to be so tough in many ways and I did expect more than a few disappointments ov
er the course of the nine- or ten-month period.
In the early part of the season, the first round of fixtures, the opposition played as though it was a World Cup Final. Every side was organised and up for it. Every player was pumped up to the maximum, so much so that it’s the only time in my career I can recall two players high-fiving each other when they blocked one of my shots from the edge of the box to send it out for a corner kick. They celebrated as if they had clinched the three points. It was the away game at Annan Athletic when we drew at their place. For me, that kind of sums up what we’ve been up against this season. But I’m not criticising the opposition for it, they’ve been perfectly entitled to be that way and I totally understood where they were coming from.
I thought SFL Division Three would have been easier than what it was. Some defenders have good experience and know how to handle themselves. The best thing has been the patter on the park. It’s been brilliant. In the games we managed to go a couple of goals ahead, the opposition would sort of put the tools away and their focus was on who was to get my top at the end of the game. A couple of the Elgin City boys had a barney on the pitch about it. In front of more than 45,000 fans at Ibrox their players were going at it hammer and tongs. I gave my jersey away in the first few games but then Jimmy Bell got me into trouble. He told me to stop doing it. Any player that asked for my jersey was to go and see Jimmy. A few players from other teams would chap our dressing room door at full-time asking for Jimmy Bell. They’d tell him they wanted my jersey and he would tell them, in the nicest possible way of course, they weren’t getting it. After the Elgin City game in March up at their place, their skipper asked me for my jersey and I told him to see Jimmy Bell. He told me I cracked that one with him in our previous meeting at Ibrox and this time he wasn’t taking no for an answer. So, I took my jersey off on the pitch and gave it to him, seeing he was so keen to get it.
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