Alan came through the youth ranks at Rangers and it was Alex McLeish who handed the right-back his first team debut on December 22nd 2002, just a matter of weeks after his 18th Birthday. With Fernando Ricksen and Arthur Numan both ruled out, Alan lined up in defence along side Lorenzo Amoruso and Aussie duo Kevin Muscat and Craig Moore as Partick Thistle were defeated 2-1 at Firhill. It would be Hutton’s sole appearance in a season that would end dramatically with Rangers winning the title on goal difference.
With Maurice Ross still vying with Ricksen for the right back slot, Alan had to remain patient but finished the season strongly, starting the final 11 league matches (including two Old Firm fixtures) in what was a faltering title challenge. His first goal came in a 4-1 win over Dunfermline Athletic at Ibrox in March 2004.
Hutton did not retain his place for the start of season 2004/05 but did appear sporadically before suffering a serious leg break in a league match versus Kilmarnock on February 26th. Never one to shirk a challenge, his wild tackle would see him sidelined for some eight months.
He managed 23 appearances (including 2 as substitute) after returning from injury in 2005/06 but it was a season to forget domestically, bringing an end to the reign of Alex McLeish as Rangers Manager. With a strong pre-season behind him and with Paul Le Guen now in the hot seat, Alan finally established himself as a first team regular in season 2006/07 playing 44 games in total. A winning goal in the UEFA Cup Group match versus Partizan Belgrade was a highlight in addition to home and away league victories over Celtic (following the return of Walter Smith as Manager in January 2007). Alan had always shown a real competitiveness since first appearing in the side but he but was now beginning to demonstrate his athleticism and ability on the ball as his confidence grew.
By the start of season 2007/08 it would be fair to say that Alan was ‘flying’ and he had become one of our most effective players both in attack and defence. His performances in the Champions League matches (particularly at Ibrox) were immense and he was a stand out on the pitch even against the likes of Barcelona and Lyon. Not surprisingly, these performances in high profile matches were beginning to attract attention and after much speculation during the winter transfer window he eventually signed for Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth £9m (this remains a Club record fee received to this day). It is fair to say that Alan was not keen to leave Rangers but with a financial crisis looming (albeit the severity of this was not yet in the public domain), this was a deal that the Club felt they simply had to force through.
Despite persistent rumours of a Rangers return over the next decade it never quite materialised and Alan finally hung up his boots in 2020 year having played for a number of English sides including Aston Villa and Sunderland. He did win the League Cup with Spurs and also represented his Country on 50 occasions, thus entering the Hall of Fame.
A regular TV Pundit, Alan's most recent appearance on the Ibrox pitch came in the 'Legends' match of March 2023 when he showed enough to suggest he could still be turning out at a half decent level.
