Signed on 8th November 1991, Rangers manager Walter Smith paid Norwich City £1.2m for the services of Dale Gordon and immediately thrust the 24 year old into first team action at East End Park. It was a more than impressive debut with Dale netting twice in a 5-0 win over Dunfermline.
Whilst the tireless Stuart McCall had been brought in to bolster the midfield following the departure of Trevor Steven to Olympique Marseilles just two games into the league campaign, it had arguably left Rangers with a lack of creativity in the wider midfield areas. With Alexei Mikhailichenko still finding his feet in Scotland, youngster John Morrow had been handed a few opportunities but Smith eventually turned to Gordon to provide the ‘spark’. Dale had been part of an exciting Norwich City side which included the likes of Andy Townsend, Mike Phelan, Ruel Fox and former Gers striker, Robert Fleck. Having made over 200 league appearances for the Canaries, he had certainly gained the experience to mix with a star studded Rangers first team squad.
Perhaps Dale’s performance on his debut set expectations too high within the Rangers support. Capable of a step-over or two, many hoped he would be the ‘new’ Mark Walters but the truth was he was never going to be a direct replacement for Mark who, as an orthodox winger, was far more direct. The puzzling aspect to Dale’s arrival was that, as an Englishman, he would be hamstrung by the ‘Foreigner Rule’ which had already been introduced by UEFA. Ironically, this ruling had played a major part in the surprise departure of Walters at the end of the previous season.
Gordon was a more typical wide midfielder, skilful on the ball and possessing decent crossing ability. He worked hard for the team and would provide a goal threat although nowhere near as prolific as his debut may have suggested. He would make 23 league appearances during the 1991/92 Championship winning season adding further goals against Motherwell at Fir Park and at Ibrox during victories over Dunfermline and Hibs. Five goals in his first thirteen league appearances was a decent return but they dried up somewhat.
Despite Rangers having had to wait some 11 years to get our hands on the Scottish Cup, Dale achieved this in little over six months at the Club when Airdrieonians were defeated at Hampden. Having started in each of the previous rounds against Aberdeen, Motherwell, St.Johnstone and Celtic, he would no doubt have been disappointed to have had to settle for a place on the bench for the Final. That said, a League and Cup double in such a short period of time represented a more than promising start to his Rangers career.
The following season, 1992/93, would go down as one of the greatest in the Club’s history and whilst Dale found himself in and out of the side, he more than played his part. Rangers secured “5 in a row” in terms of league titles and “Disco” made 18 starts and 4 substitute appearances, his only league strike coming in a 2-0 win over Airdrieonians on matchday 2. The following week he scored at Hampden in a 5-0 demolition of Dumbarton in the League Cup and returned to the National Stadium two months later as Aberdeen were defeated 2-1 in the Final. Whilst he (again) had to settle for a place on the bench, he now had a full set of domestic medals less than a year after coming to Glasgow. The Scottish Cup was, of course, retained the following May to complete our first Treble since 1978 but Dale did not feature at Parkhead. He had played in the opening two rounds and, indeed, scored against Ayr United at Somerset Park on 6th February 1993.
As mentioned, the ‘non-nationals’ rule impacted on Dale’s Rangers career when it came to European competition but he did occupy one of those ‘foreigner’ places on a famous November night at Elland Road as Leeds United were defeated 2-1. Alongside Ian Durrant, Ian Ferguson and Stuart McCall in the midfield engine room, Gordon helped Rangers qualify for the first ever European Champions League Group although he would not feature in any of the 6 Matches, primarily for the reasons stated.
Having made a total of 55 appearance, Dale left the Club in the summer of 1993 to join West Ham United and played out the rest of his career in England. Unfortunately, injuries hampered him after leaving Ibrox.
Dale has more recently been based in Dubai involved in Youth Coaching.
