How did you end up being Hearts’
mascot in an Edinburgh derby?
Neil Black, via Facebook
That was due to overindulgence in
pre-match hospitality! I saw the man
getting changed into the Hearty Harry
mascot outfit, and I decided that I’d
give it a go myself at half-time. It was
my hardest 10 minutes on a football
pitch. It was 1996 and I was still
playing for Rangers at the time, but
there I was! The Hearts fans were OK
with me, but the Hibs fans made it
clear what they thought. [Laughs]
How do you look back on winning
the European Golden Shoe – twice?
What’s the secret to scoring a goal?
David Grieve, via Twitter
I look back with great pride. And I think
you’re born with a goalscoring instinct.
You can work on it, and practise it, but
the best finishers are just born with it.
Marco Negri famously went missing
for years. What was he like in the
dressing room? Are you still in touch?
Stewart Granger, via Facebook
I do still keep in touch with him now
and again. We send each other a few
messages on WhatsApp. He’s a really
interesting guy. He had a period when
he first came to Rangers where he was
unbelievable – everything he touched
went into the net. I keep in touch with
a lot of guys: Stuart McCall, big Goughy
in America, Ian Ferguson in Australia...
What opportunities did you have to
leave Rangers at your peak? Was
there any interest from Premier
League clubs? Why did you stay?
Thomas Powers, London
I was just happy playing for the team
I had always supported. We were very
successful, too. Yes, there was some
interest in me and I probably could’ve
moved, but I didn’t want to. I wouldn’t
have swapped anything for winning
trophies at Rangers. I had a tempting
offer from Köln in Germany, and then
late on there was also an offer from
Everton, but I didn’t give them too
much thought. Rangers were my team.
How do you look back at your final
three years, with Kilmarnock? What
is it like for the body and mind to be
playing at the age of 38?
Ollie Smith, via Instagram
It was magic – I loved it. It was the
first time I’d played football without
any real pressure for about 15 years,
and I say it with the greatest respect.
Rangers were expected to win every
single game but that’s not the case at
Kilmarnock. We had Bobby Williamson
in charge and did really well, getting
the team into Europe [the UEFA Cup].
Did you enjoy acting in A Shot at
Glory? Do you think you could’ve had
a Hollywood career à la Vinnie Jones?
‘Shaun Shaun’, via Facebook
Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t given a chance
to follow Vinnie to Hollywood! But it
was a fantastic thing to do. If you ask
the man on the street to name his
favourite actor of all time, 90 per cent
would put Robert Duvall in their topfive, so for me to have worked with
him was amazing. What a man.
During the pandemic, there was
a Zoom call with the guys who were
in the movie, including Robert, who
is in his nineties now. Michael Keaton
and Brian Cox were in it, too. When
I look back, I pinch myself, thinking,
‘Did that really happen?’As Rangers manager in 2012, how
did it feel to have to start again in
the Third Division? Why did you stay?
Danny Tanfield, via Facebook
I just did what anyone else would’ve
done. It was devastating to see the
club in that situation, but there was
a real unity from people within it and
from the fans. There aren’t many clubs
in the world that could command
the crowds we did at such a low level.
It was a truly unforgettable period.How did you find the experience of
managing Rangers in the Scottish
lower leagues? Were there any
particularly funny moments from
that time, despite the situation?
Foo Ball, via Facebook
It was a real pleasure, going to play
at semi-professional clubs who are at
the heart of their communities. It was
such an adventure. We went to play
Annan, and I couldn’t do my team
talk before the game because their
chairman had me doing a raffle draw!
It was wonderful. We got off the team
bus and I was embraced by the Annan
chairman, who bundled me into their
social club. Only there could you get
away with it. We also played at Brechin
and the ball got stuck in the bushes by
the side of the pitch. We needed to get
a ladder up there to finally retrieve it.
That was priceless!YOU ASK
“EVEN THOUGH I WAS
35 YEARS OLD, I WEPT
WHEN I WAS LEFT OUT
OF SCOTLAND’S 1998
WORLD CUP SQUAD”
10 July 2022 FourFourTwo