A legendary figure within football has revealed he instructed his agent to get him to Rangers even if a “massive drop in wages” was required to get him to Ibrox.
Rangers manager search rumbles on
The Gers are back to square one in their manager search after Steven Gerrard ruled himself out of contention to return to Ibrox.
The 45-year-old had been the front-runner to replace the sacked Russell Martin as head coach, but it is understood that after holding constructive discussions with the club, he felt the timing was not right for a return to Glasgow.
PA News Agency reports the conversations were positive and both sides agreed to leave the door open for the future, but for now 49ers Enterprises’ first major test in charge at Ibrox just got a whole lot tougher.
Danny Rohl appears to be the front runner for the job at the moment, even if reports suggest one of the Gers’ top transfer targets, Pierce Charles, would be less likely join the club if his former Sheffield Wednesday boss is in situ.
Chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chairman Paraag Marathe promised fans a “rigorous, thoughtful recruitment process” which they were both “deeply involved” with and would give their “full attention” to, but the appointment of a young, maverick coach like Rohl would feel eerily similar to the risk that was taken appointing Martin back in June.
While the club struggle to get a managerial candidate who fans can rally behind over the line, one man the Ibrox faithful will never run out of love for has revealed that feeling is mutual.
Gascoigne: I told my agent I’d drop my wages to join Rangers
Speaking to talkSPORT on Monday, former England superstar Paul Gascgoine, who won the league twice during his time at Rangers, said he nearly missed out on his move to Ibrox over a name mix-up, but then jumped at the chance to join up with Walter Smith.
“I loved it up there, my time was fantastic. But I remember when my agent was talking to Lazio about which club I should go to.
“He mentioned Aston Villa and then said Rangers, so I went: ‘No, I’m not going.’
“Then as I was walking off, he said ‘Glasgow Rangers’ and I was like: ‘Oh I thought you meant Queens Park Rangers!’
“So I said: ‘Okay, get them over’ and then my agents were in talks and I was saying to Walter I’m coming, don’t worry.
“I’ll take a massive drop in wages, I want to go to Rangers and within a week, that was it.”
‘Gazza’ is one of Rangers’ greatest players of all time and was already a Ballon d’Or candidate before he joined, finishing fourth in the famous award ceremony back in 1990, proving the allure of both the club and Smith, who himself won 21 major trophies as Rangers boss.
Whether Rohl or anyone else can return the club to that level given the growing financial gap between Scotland and Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues, fans are desperate for Cavenagh and Marathe to find a leader like Smith who can once again turn Ibrox into a stage that appeals to the finest talents in world football.
